During the 2025 NHL off-season, the Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Zack Bolduc. This was one of the most intriguing trades of the summer, as it involved two former first-round picks.
Mailloux has had a tough start to his Blues tenure. In his first 19 games with the Central Division squad, the 6-foot-3 defenseman recorded just one assist to go along with an ugly minus-18 rating. He was also briefly sent down to the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, earlier this season, where he posted two goals in five games.
While Mailloux has had a tough start with the Blues, he has now broken the ice.
During St. Louis' Dec. 12 contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, Mailloux scored his first goal as a member of the Blues. It was a good goal, too, as the former Canadiens defenseman beat Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight with a nice wrist shot.
Mailloux will now be looking to build off this big moment with the Blues. There is no question that the young blueliner has good potential, and it will be interesting to see if he can tap into it more as the season rolls on.
Mailloux was selected by the Canadiens with the 31st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In eight games over two seasons with Montreal, he posted two goals and five points.
The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Saturday that the 22-year-old right-hander "is highly coveted in trade talks" with the Mets valuing Tong "highly" but "listening."
Fellow right-hander Nolan McLean, meanwhile, "is viewed as off-limits" with outfielder Carson Benge "close to that," Heyman added.
Tong went 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA in five starts this past season. He rose through the Mets' farm system, starting the year with Double-A Binghamton before elevating to Triple-A Syracuse in August and New York by the end of the month.
Tong's MLB debut on Aug. 29 against the Miami Marlins was a 19-9 win for the Mets. He allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out six and walking none.
His next four starts were mixed. Tong's final outing, a 10-3 loss at the Chicago Cubs, saw him last two innings while surrendering five runs on seven hits with two walks to one strikeout.
"Tong could use a little more minor league time, but with improvement in command and refinement of a third and maybe fourth pitch, the sky’s the limit," DeMayo wrote. "Without that development, there is a non-zero chance for some reliever risk."
A former Chicago Blackhawks forward has hit the waiver wire.
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have placed former Blackhawks first-round pick Lukas Reichel on waivers.
The Blackhawks traded Reichel earlier this season to the Canucks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. This was after Reichel was the subject of several trade rumors, as he struggled to find his fit with the Blackhawks.
The Canucks hoped that Reichel would thrive with a change of scenery, but the young forward has only struggled more. In 14 games with the Canucks since the trade, he has recorded zero goals, one assist, and a minus-5 rating. He also became the odd man out in Vancouver's lineup, as he has not played since their Nov. 28 contest against the San Jose Sharks.
Reichel was selected by the Blackhawks with the 17th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 174 games over five seasons with the Blackhawks, he recorded 22 goals, 36 assists, 58 points, and a minus-60 rating.
Trevon Brazile scored 18 of his 24 points after halftime and finished with 10 rebounds as No. 17 Arkansas overcame No. 16 Texas Tech 93-86 on Saturday.
Harry Wilson scored one and set up two more as Fulham piled more pressure on their former manager Scott Parker by inflicting a seventh straight defeat on beleaguered Burnley.
Although Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe’s early goal, Calvin Bassey had the visitors back in front before half-time and Wilson’s eighth goal of the season put Fulham clear.
The Chicago Blackhawks are set to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. This is the second half of a back-to-back for Chicago. In these situations (second half of back-to-backs), the Blackhawks have been beaten both times badly.
Now, the Blackhawks have a chance to make that issue right. They lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night, and now they need to find a way to play well one night later.
Scouting Detroit
The Detroit Red Wings employ Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane. He plays there with Alex DeBrincat, and the two are very solid together. Kane is not a superstar producer anymore, but he's still very good and a threat to create offense on every shift.
Finnie - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - Kane
Rasmussen - Compher - Berggren
Soderblom - Kasper - Danielson
Edvinsson - Seider
Chiarot - Sandin Pellikka
Johansson - Hamonic
Gibson
The Detroit Red Wings have a lot of young talent in addition to Kane and DeBrincat, who are solid veterans who help them calm the waters.
Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka are the youthful players on the team, while captain Dylan Larkin drives play. All-in-all, this is a solid group that can win any game.
Cam Talbot started in their last game, so you can expect to see John Gibson in the net for the Wings. As long as everyone plays their game in front of him, he should give his team a chance.
Patrick Kane is sitting on 497 career goals. A hat trick against his old team would put him in the exclusive 500 goals club. In the event that this doesn't happen, Kane will reach the milestone shortly after.
In his place, the Blackhawks are going to have Nick Lardis called up from the Rockford IceHogs. He will make his NHL debut against the Red Wings.
There was no morning skate for the Blackhawks, so there is no way of knowing exactly how things will line up. Warmups will indicate the lines, defense pairs, and goalie decision for Chicago. It is hard to even project the lineup because of Bedard's absence and Lardis' addition.
Arvid Soderblom is likely going to start in the net as Spencer Knight went against the Blues on Friday night. That will be confirmed or denied during the warmups as well.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game locally, it can be found on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM.
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The Winnipeg Jets could be on the verge of handing rookie goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis his NHL debut Saturday night when they host the Washington Capitals, a possibility that has sparked widespread speculation among fans and media alike.
Questions around the Jets’ starting goaltender emerged earlier Saturday after the team released its projected lineup on X, formerly known as Twitter, accompanied by the caption: “No indication has been made on tonight’s starting goalie.” The vague wording immediately fueled speculation that Winnipeg may be preparing to give DiVincentiis his first NHL start.
The uncertainty comes as veteran backup Eric Comrie continues to shoulder a heavy workload in the absence of regular starter Connor Hellebuyck, who remains sidelined. Comrie has started seven consecutive games for the Jets, a demanding stretch that could prompt the coaching staff to give him a much-needed night off.
While Comrie has battled through the stretch, results have been mixed. He has won just one of his last six starts, and with Winnipeg looking to stabilize its play and manage workloads, the idea of a fresh look in goal has gained traction.
DiVincentiis’ recall has been widely anticipated within the organization and among fans. The 20-year-old netminder impressed during training camp and the preseason, positioning himself as a legitimate option should the Jets need depth in goal.
With the AHL’s Manitoba Moose this season, DiVincentiis has been among the league’s more consistent goaltenders. Despite a 6-7-1 record that reflects the challenges faced by the Moose, he has posted a respectable 2.49 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage, numbers that underscore his individual performance and poise beyond his years.
Head coach Scott Arniel has not confirmed a starter for Saturday’s matchup, leaving open the possibility that Winnipeg could turn to Comrie once again or the rookie against a flaming hot Capitals team led by Alex Ovechkin.
If DiVincentiis does get the nod, it would mark a significant milestone in his development and offer the Jets a glimpse of a potential future piece between the pipes. For now, the team remains noncommittal, but all signs point to a decision that could come right up until puck drop.
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Lim beats Jeffrey de Graaf to set up Luke Humphries rematch
Singaporean beat the future champion in 2020
Paul Lim made World Darts Championship history at Alexandra Palace – and then hoped lightning would strike twice against Luke Humphries.
Lim became the oldest player to win a match at the event as the Singaporean, who turns 72 next month, defeated Jeffrey de Graaf 3-1 to extend his own record set in 2020. On that occasion he overcame Humphries and the pair are reunited in round two after the world No 2 produced eight 180s in crushing Ted Evetts 3-1.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, K'Jei Parker added a career-high 24 points, and UMass rolled past Florida State, 103-95 on Saturday in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. Hankins-Sanford scored 18 of his points in the second half as the Minutemen (8-3) rallied from a 47-43 halftime deficit to lead by as many as 18 points. Leonardo Bettiol added 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for UMass, and Marcus Banks also had 18 points.
Oziyah Sellers scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, Zuby Ejiofor tied a career-high by blocking eight shots for the second straight game and No. 22 St. John’s survived a difficult start and pulled away for a 91-64 victory over Iona on Saturday. Sellers made four 3s in the second half and shot 7 of 13. Ian Jackson added 14 points in his return to the starting lineup.
The New York Mets have agreed to a two-year deal with veteran infielder Jorge Polanco, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.
Polanco hit .265 with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs this year for the Seattle Mariners. It was the 32-year-old’s second season with Seattle after a decade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco’s arrival comes after the departures of outfielder Brandon Nimmo, closer Edwin Díaz and first baseman Pete Alonso left New York without three of its fan favorites. Polanco’s deal is worth a reported $40 million.
Last year, Polanco was mostly a designated hitter and also played second base, but New York’s biggest current need in the infield may be at first after Alonso’s exit. The Mets acquired second baseman Marcus Semien in a trade for Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor is a fixture at shortstop.
Polanco was an All-Star in 2019 for Minnesota, and he hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2021. He had surgery in October 2024 to repair his left patellar tendon, and the Mariners declined his $12 million option for the 2025 season. But they brought him back for $7 million, and he produced one of his best offensive seasons.
The Yankees are re-signing Amed Rosario, according to multiple Saturday reports.
YES Network's Jack Curry first reported the deal, which is a one-year contract.
The pact is reportedly for $2.5 million. The New York Post's Jon Heyman and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal were among those to report the salary terms.
Rosario can earn another $250,000 in incentives, according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo.
Rosario, 30, slashed .303/.303/.485 with one home run and five RBI in 16 regular-season games for the Yankees this past season.
He especially crushed left-handed pitching, slashing .302/.328/.491 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 52 games across two teams.
Rosario is "likely to get reps" behind third baseman Ryan McMahon, against left-handed pitching and elsewhere, Curry added.
New York landed Rosario before the 2025 MLB trade deadline in a July 26 deal with the Washington Nationals.
He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Nats last January and slashed .270/.310/.426 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 46 games for Washington.
Rosario's career started with the Mets. He played for New York from 2017-20 before stints with Cleveland (2021-23), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2023) and Tampa Bay (2024), Cincinnati (2024).
When impossible odds were stacked agains them, the Sharks turned to the most powerful tool there is.
Love.
San Jose’s historic 6-5 comeback OT win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at PGG Paints Arena will be one Sharks fans talk about for generations to come. But when we reflect on the miracle that occurred on that ice, it must be remembered what propelled the inconceivable scenario that played out before us.
The power of friendship.
With San Jose facing a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 third-period deficit, Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon delivered what easily could’ve been a knockout blow to the Sharks’ morale by laying vicious hit on Will Smith.
Instead, it lit a burning fire under San Jose as William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini immediately came to their teammate’s defense, with the latter earning a 4:00 penalty for roughing in the process.
“You hate to see one of your teammates go down,” Celebrini told reporters after the game. “Anyone would have done that if it happened to any guy on our team. That’s the kind of group we have and how close we are … I don’t think any of us like to see our teammates go down and take a hit like that. I think [Eklund] did a good job kind of jumping in there and I felt like I had to have his back.”
"I think that's the kind of group we have and how close we are."
While the Penguins quickly added another power-play goal — their third of the afternoon — it would be the last time the home crowd had anything resembling something to cheer for on Saturday.
With 12:27 remaining in the third period, John Klingberg continued his recent hot streak by launching a screamer of a wrist-shot past Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs.
While it might have seemed like too little, too late in the moment with San Jose still sitting in a 5-2 hole, Klingberg’s power-play goal did just enough to breathe life into a Sharks team that didn’t realize it just took the first step toward a generational victory.
Eklund, Alex Wennberg and Adam Gaudette;s gritty effort with 5:41 remaining pulled the Sharks even closer.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust appeared poised to eviscerate any hopes of an incredible comeback when he squared up to shoot on San Jose’s empty net after the Sharks pulled goalie Yaroslav Askarov in favor of throwing an extra attacker on the ice.
But as any true miracle entails, there would be some form of divine intervention as Rust’s shot narrowly missed the net and instead ricocheted off the post.
Just 22 seconds after Rust’s shocking miss, Celebrini did what franchise players do. He rose to the occasion and sent a rocket slap shot into the back of the net to pull San Jose within one goal of what seemed like an impossible lead to overcome just mere minutes before.
MACKLIN SCORES AN ABSOLUTE ROCKET OF A ONE-TIMER TO BRING THE SHARKS WITHIN ONE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0l3vqgrec0
Before anyone watching could register what was unfolding before them, Tyler Toffoli found the back of the net with 1:38 remaining in the game to bring the Sharks and Penguins level, leaving Pittsburgh fans in attendance frozen in a solemn silence of disbelief.
Entering overtime, the Sharks placed themselves in a position where it would seem like they committed a heist to come away with the bare-minimum point they would be entitled to after storming back in epic fashion.
Surely that would be an acceptable result given where they stood down 5-1 midway through the third period, right?
Not for these Sharks, who were determined to deliver the Hollywood ending that even the most talented scriptwriters would struggle to conjure up.
With just over two minutes remaining in overtime, Klingberg dangled one of the NHL’s all-time greats in Sidney Crosby to set up a two-on-one against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang as Celebrini him to his right.
Klingberg passed the puck to Celebrini, who quicky returned it to set up a finish that will be etched into the memories of Sharks fans forever.
Klingberg being the one to put the final exclamation mark on a mind-boggling comeback victory was poetic in more ways than one.
The veteran blueliner has dealt with his fair share of adversity as he struggled to begin his first season with the Sharks. But while the outside noise echoed, Klingberg’s teammates maintained their belief in him and the body of work he has put together during his 13-year NHL career.
Klingberg now has seven points in his last four games, including three goals that played a crucial role in back-to-back comeback wins on the road for the Sharks.
The Swedish defenseman has seen it all on the ice after playing in 668 regular-season NHL games, but Saturday’s win simply resonated on a different level even for the most seasoned of veterans.
“Unbelievable comeback,” Klingberg said on “Sharks Postgame Live.” “We didn’t like our game, obviously they out shot us bad for two periods, but we felt like we were kind of hanging in there even if the scoreboard didn’t show it. Resilient group, that’s one of the craziest comebacks I’ve been a part of for sure.”
San Jose will face more deficits this season. And not all of them will have the storybook ending that Saturday’s win in Pittsburgh did. But you can be assured this team will always fight until that final horn blares.
“We’re a team that’s grinding for sure. We’re right in it, we don’t give up,” Klingberg said. “Credit to all the guys, that’s a big thing to do stuff like that, it builds a lot of confidence.”
Who: Nashville Predators (12-14-4, 8th Central) at Colorado Avalanche (22-2-7, 1st in Central)
When: 8 p.m. CST
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
TV: WTVF Channel 5
Radio: 102.5 The Game
Line (via BetMGM): Predators +1.5, Avalanche -1.5. Over/under 6.5 (+100/-120).
First line flourishing
The Nashville Predators' first line has been massive to the team's success over the last eight games.
Steven Stamkos has 10 points in eight games, which included a four-goal game in Thursday's 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Luke Evangelista now has 13 points in nine games, which include four multi-point games. Ryan O'Reilly, who has been the Predators' top player all season, has five points in five games.
The trio has been the driving force behind the Predators' winning six of their last eight games, including a 4-3 shootout victory over the Avalanche on Tuesday. O'Reilly had the lone shootout goal in that game.
Saros locked in
Outside of the 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, where Saros was pulled for Justus Annunen, Saros has been playing some of his best hockey of the season.
In December, in five games started, he has a 4-1-0 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. It's a massive jump from the .873 save percentage and 3.35 goals against average from November.
In the win over the Avalanche, he had a season-best 39 saves on 42 shots. Two nights later, he made 24 saves on 26 shots in the win over the Blues. In the five games played in December, Saros had three 30+ save performances.
Preds playing short
With Cole Smith still out and the Predators trading Spencer Stastney to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Nashville will be playing with 11 forwards and six defensemen on this two-game road trip.
General manager Barry Trotz said that the roster should be filling up soon, with Justin Barron nearing a return and the Stastney trade allowing the team to work younger forwards into the system.
However, ahead of their game against the Avalanche, the Predators' only roster transaction was sending an injured Zach L'Heureux down to Milwaukee. The Predators have been playing short over the last few games and have seemed to thrive with lower numbers.
Facing top-ranked Avs
Despite handing the Avalanche a loss on Tuesday, that has not dethroned them from the top spot in the NHL. Following the loss in Nashville, the Avalanche ripped off a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday, seeing six different Colorado players score.
Nathan Mackinnon leads the league in points (53 points) and goals (25 goals). Martin Necas is third in the league in assists with 29 and Avalanche players own four of the top five best plus/minuses in the NHL (MacKinnon 37, Necas 30, Cale Makar 29, Lehkonen 37).
In net, Scott Wedgewood, a former Predators player, has the second most wins in the league with 13, the fourth best goals-against average (2.11) and sixth best save percentage (.919).
Backup Mackenzie Blackwood is also ranked as one of the top goaltenders in the league with a 2.19 goals against average (sixth) and a .920 save percentage (tied-fourth).
As a team, the Avalanche have only lost at home twice this season, once in regulation to the New Jersey Devils, 8-4, on Oct. 26 and the other to the Dallas Stars, 5-4, in a shootout on Oct. 11.
