Carson Benge has a chance to make the Mets' Opening Day roster this spring, and the young outfielder is taking steps to prepare himself for that opportunity.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported Thursday that Benge is already in Port St. Lucie -- almost a month before the Mets' Feb. 16 full squad report date -- after spending time during the offseason working on his hitting with the Holliday family at Oklahoma State -- that's, of course, Orioles star Jackson and his father Matt.
Benge has shown promise in the minors and is regarded as one of the organization's top prospects. He has enough upside to have caught David Stearns' attention and the president of baseball operations declared that Benge will have a chance to break camp with the squad.
“Carson Benge is going to come into spring training with a chance to make our team, and we’ll see where the offseason takes us beyond that,” Stearns said back in November.
“When you have good players at the upper levels of the minor leagues, we have to find space for those players to play. Carson is among them. He’s not the only one, but he’s among them. So, as we build out our team, we have to ensure that as we move forward, there is room for our young players to get to the major leagues when they deserve to get there, and have a chance to really contribute to our major league team.”
Of course, a lot has changed with the Mets' roster since Stearns made those comments, especially with the outfield.
Stearns swung a trade with the White Sox to bring Luis Robert Jr. over to, presumably, play center field. That leaves left field open for Benge, or any other outfield option on the roster, to take this opportunity.
But after the addition of Robert Jr., Stearns is sticking with what he said months ago.
"With Carson, I've been clear all offseason he has a chance to make the club and Robert's addition doesn't change that," Stearns said Thursday. "We're going to give him a chance to make the club out of camp. Doesn't mean he is, but we'll give him a chance."
Other options for left field include Tyrone Taylor and even Brett Baty, who will play the super-utility role after the addition of Bo Bichette to play third base.
Stearns' comments reveal his confidence in Benge to potentially compete for that spot, no matter what the current roster looks like. But it's not just Stearns' words that illustrate his belief in the young outfielder.
In the same report from Rosenthal and Sammon, Benge was "never seriously on the table" during trade conversations for Freddy Peralta.
Benge started last season with High-A Brooklyn but ended up playing 24 games for Triple-A Syracuse before the season came to a close. The 2024 first-round pick -- and the first draft selection made by Stearns in New York -- struggled once he arrived in Syracuse, putting up just a .583 OPS. But Benge had an overall solid full season as a pro, posting
an .857 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBI across all three levels.
After blowing a 16-point lead and completely falling apart in Houston likely left the Spurs with a bad taste in their mouths for the last 48 hours ago, they made sure it didn’t happen again against the Utah Jazz tonight, although they still made everyone sweat a little first. After the Spurs got ahead by as much as 15 in the first half, the Jazz came all the way back in the third quarter. Things were still tied several minutes into the fourth, but Utah could never gain the lead, and the Spurs finally turned things back on in the final seven minutes to but the young but pesky Jazz away, 126-109.
De’Aaron Fox led five Spurs in double figures with 31 points on 6-9 from three, Victor Wembanyama had 26 points with four threes, and Keldon Johnson scored 21 off the bench. For the Jazz, Ace Bailey had on of his best games of his young career with 25 points while continuously slicing through the Spurs defense, and Jusuf Nurkic had a 17-11-14 triple-double.
Observations
Recent events have conditioned me to not get excited when the Spurs are hot from three, but they did it again tonight, hitting 5 of their first 6, with two from Julian Champagnie and Fox and one from Wemby. Of course, they then went 2-8 for the rest of the first quarter, although a third from Champagnie helped them tie things back up a 31 apiece after they had gone cold when the bench came in and gave up a 7-point lead.
Jordan McLaughlin got some minutes to start the second quarter for unclear reasons other than Mitch Johnson either wanted to make a point or find a spark after the slow end to the first quarter, but whatever the reason, they got the memo and came out with much more energy and aggressiveness, building the lead up to 15 with him on the floor. He recorded three rebounds, two assists and a steal and is just one of those players who doesn’t make mistakes and does the little things that can help steady the ship.
Luke Kornet joins Devin Vassell with adductor tightness, and the Spurs missed him badly. Kelly Olynyk got the back-up center minutes in the first half, and while he didn’t do much, good or bad, he was a net negative for a reason. It seemed like everything bogged down every time Wemby left the floor. Jeremy Sochan, who was questionable with an illness, got the back-up center minutes in the second half, and unsurprisingly the energy level and feistiness was higher.
It’s not a Spurs game without a blown double-digit lead. In a reverse from the first half, this time it was the starters that gave up the entirety of what was once a 15-point lead, and the bench unit that did the stabilizing. They never allowed the Jazz to take the lead and even got it back up to 8 before a Kyle Filipowski three before the third quarter buzzer got it down to five. Overall, the Spurs were outscored 39-32, so it was definitely a turd quarter on defense, but credit to the bench for getting the offense going again and preventing it from being a full-blown turn quarter.
Similar to their loss in Houston, the Spurs opened the fourth quarter by carelessly jacking up threes, missing their first five before Wemby finally got one to fall. Fortunately for them, while the Jazz again tied things back, unlike Houston, they couldn’t hit any shots that would have given them the lead before the Spurs got their act back together and pulled back up by 10 with 7 minutes left. Fox and Wemby then traded haymakers to put the Jazz away. Overall, they finished on a 22-9 run after that Wemby three.
Stephon Castle’s shots continue to be short. I wonder how much that thumb is bugging him, especially after he re-aggravated it in Houston. Still, other than shooting 4-12, he had a solid night by getting to the line for 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and just 1 turnover.
Random thought that jumps in my head every time three seconds is called, offensive or defensive: I get why the rule exists, but it’s dumb because it’s almost never called more than once a game, sometimes not at all, but it probably happens on at least 25% of possessions. It just feels like something that is called when the refs feel like they need to remind everyone that it exists. It’s like they need to meet an allotment by calling it every so often.
Wild stat that was revealed during the game: Wemby is the Spurs’ franchise leader in three-pointers made per game at 2.2. That shocks me. I know it’s a small sample size, and there have certainly been players that averaged more makes than that in a single season, but it’s so hard to imagine that shooting specialists like Bruce Bowen, Danny Green, Patty Mills, etc. didn’t average more across their Spurs careers. I guess it’s just a combination of the rise in attempts since their playing days, not being in the main rotation the entire career meant small appearances hurt their career averages, etc.
One look at the injury report, and it was clear that the Utah Jazz were welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio into the Delta Center for a 48-minute formality. We can do the whole song and dance, or you can kindly take your victory and go.
Jazz Injury Report:
OUT – Elijah Harkless (G League – Two-Way)
OUT – Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (return to competition reconditioning)
OUT – Georges Niang (left foot; fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
No Lauri Markkanen, as he is still absent with the bubonic plague, or polio, or smallpox, or whatever illness has kept him sidelined for the past chunk of games. Cody Williams and Svi Mykhailiuk were officially in the starting lineup for this one, but with Keyonte George fresh off a 43-point season-high, and Jusuf Nurkic having just posted a triple-double in the same century win for head coach Will Hardy.
But that was the only win Utah had picked up without the Finnisher to that point in the season, and it took all-world performances from George, Nurkic, and a 15-point fourth quarter comeback. Still, with all the confidence of a wild west gunslinger standing 20 paces from Fingerless Floyd at high noon, Keyonte George is enjoying the type of season where he can seemingly beat anybody when he’s on his game.
Keyonte George is often on his game these days.
So, it’s sort of challenging to define expectations for the Utah Jazz as the 2nd-best team in the West, San Antonio, entered the Salt Lake Valley with their full lineup of Fox, Castle, Harper, and some French fellow named Victor all available. The Spurs are both young and legitimate threats for the title this year — well ahead of schedule and joining Oklahoma City as the youthful leaders of the Western Conference, with a disturbingly wide window for contention.
Utah’s situation is… different. It’s been a slow burn, but the youth of Utah are beginning to find solid ground. George and Sensabaugh, especially, are giving observers reason to believe in their upside. Those players are in their third seasons — the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, however, is really beginning to put it together.
Squaring off against his old Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey started hot, knocking down his first four shots in the first quarter and tallying 10 points in the opening frame.
Then, in the second half, in the midst of a San Antonio separation act, Cody Williams uncorked the Delta Center with a coast-to-coast yam in rush-hour traffic.
It feels like Cody is good for a pair of dunks per game these days, but that? No, your honor, I cannot identify Cody Williams in that video, but I believe I spotted Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing number 5 in white.
But Cody’s flight was but a gentle distraction as the Spurs pushed their lead to double-digits and entered halftime with a 12-point advantage.
I say this with only the slightest hint of irony: Jusuf Nurkic may actually be the love child of Nikola Jokic and 2016-17 Russell Westbrook. For the second straight game, the Bosnian Beast posted a triple-double. His dominance was so potent that even as the Spurs carried a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter, they sent double-teams on his late-game touches.
If this were the first basketball game someone had ever watched, they might think that Nurkic was the best player on planet Earth. Victor Wembanyama was not enough to neutralize his offensive powers. 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Yeesh.
Meanwhile, Ace Bailey messed around and posted yet another career high, notching 25 points just after his previous high. He’s high-flying as always, feasting off a healthy helping of off-ball movement and cuts to the rim, while being more selective with his jump shots.
The Golden State Warriors lost their second game in a row on Thursday night, and unfortunately, it was distinctly different than their Tuesday loss to the Toronto Raptors. In that game, the Warriors played decently — you could even argue they played well — but an outlier shooting performance from the Canadians doomed the Dubs. But on Thursday, the Warriors lost 123-115 to the Dallas Mavericks because they simply didn’t play all that well. Which is, in fairness, the most common way to lose a basketball game.
So let’s grade the group that moved the Dubs to 0-2 in the post-Jimmy Butler III era. As always, grades are based on my expectations of each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Thursday’s games, league average TS was 58.1%.
A pretty solid game for Moody, who continues to shoot very efficiently. In his last six games, Moody is shooting 29-for-48 from the field, including 21-for-37 on threes. I would stop short of calling his defense great, but it’s been reliably good, bordering on very good. This was just a very solid all-around game for Moody.
Santos got to partake in the starting lineup, and that was fun to see. His energy on the glass was necessary to keep the Warriors in the game, though he had some struggles on offense.
I don’t know if it’s a generic slump or if he’s feeling deflated following the Butler news, but Green did not look like Green in this one. He just didn’t appear to be moving at his usual speed, especially with his decision-making. He had some very rough turnovers, and fouled out despite playing less than half the game. His defense wasn’t up to his standard, and the game shifted a bit when he collected a flagrant foul. Just a bad game. No two ways about it.
Podziemski is more of a do-the-little-things player than a go-to scoring option, but sometimes he plays like he should be the secondary scorer. Occasionally that works out well, but often it does not. On Thursday, it did not, as he could not buy a bucket, though he kept trying.
In Podz’s defense, he also played the role of elite playmaker, with a 10-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio that the Warriors will take eight days a week. He really showed off his quarterbacking chops in this game, and also played some really strong defense. Honestly, it was a really good game minus the atrocious shooting. We’ll call it even.
Grade: B Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
This game was the ultimate display of things changing and things staying the same. There was Steph, donning his hero’s cape, just like old times. There was Steph, draining an absurd number of threes, while carrying the team and putting up a gaudy points total, just like old times. And there were the Warriors, losing to a bad team despite his efforts, unlike old times. And there was his running mate Klay Thompson, scoring just six points while coming off the bench for the opposing team, very unlike old times.
Enjoy Steph while he’s still doing it, folks. He’s a treasure, even in an increasingly lost season.
Payton’s minutes weren’t as bad as his plus/minus would suggest, but they weren’t particularly good, either. He’s been doing some good things on offense lately, but not so much in this game, and his defense wasn’t very impactful.
Grade: C– Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Something I’ve been wondering lately: if the Warriors season fully falls apart post-Butler, and they completely turn their attention to the 2026-27 season, will Richard get a bigger role? It might be worth playing him 30 minutes a night and seeing what happens.
Anyway, his offense has really disappeared since his hot rookie start, but his defense was utterly blissful in this game. He was so active, and seemed to deflect everything. That will get you minutes on a Steve Kerr team.
I know Kerr loves having Melton lead the second unit, but I think it’s time to start him, assuming he’s enough recovered from his ACL injury that he can play 30 minutes a night (which, admittedly, may not be the case). Kerr can still stagger Melton and Curry’s minutes enough so that one is always on the court, but you might as well start with your best players. And this game was yet another data point supporting the increasingly obvious: with Butler out, Melton is the team’s second-best player.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
If the Warriors could just build the entire team out of Curry, Melton, and Horford, they’d be in pretty darn good shape. Those guys are good. Everyone else? TBD.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Kuminga’s game was a mixed bag. He entered in the first quarter and immediately set to work, quickly recording two dynamic and-ones that were a strong reminder as to how gifted he is offensively. He gave great effort on the glass and played tremendous defense. The Warriors were so much better when he was on the court.
And then he got hurt in the second quarter, appeared to injure his ankle, and was ruled out for the rest of the game with knee soreness. He’s scheduled for an MRI, and we all nervously await the results.
Post was not only removed from the starting lineup for this game, but nearly removed from the rotation entirely. He’s been struggling lately, and this game was no exception.
Grade: C-
Thursday’s DNP-CDs: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Pat Spencer
Thursday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Malevy Leons
The relationship may be “fractured beyond repair,” but the professionalism has clearly been maintained.
At the 3:48 mark of the first quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Amazon Prime broadcast cut toward Steve Kerr calling a play for Jonathan Kuminga, called “Thumb up.” Simply put, the play is a high pick-and-roll for the ball handler, with the name Kerr calls out playing the role of the screener. In this instance, Kerr calling out “Thumb up JK” means that he wants Kuminga to set the screen for Brandin Podziemski, with everyone else spreading the floor to create as much room as possible for the two-man action.
Warriors┃ "Thumb up"
Kerr calls for "Thumb up" for JK. It's his playcall for a high PnR, with the name he calls out being the ball screener.
The lack of weak-side help in the form of “tagging” is apparent, with Will Richard making himself a threat to catch a potential kick-out. Kuminga gets all the way to the rim after Podziemski dishes him the pocket pass, and is fouled in the process of making the layup.
While Kuminga played nine minutes and 28 seconds on the floor due to suffering what was deemed as a left ankle sprain and left knee soreness, the limited minutes he played turned out to be highly impactful. The Warriors outscored the Mavericks by a total of 18 points, with an offensive rating of 130.4 and a defensive rating of 54.5 that combined for a net rating figure of plus-75.9.
With Butler out of the rotation for obvious reasons, Kerr inserted Kuminga into the role that Butler played: that of an advantage creator in isolation and pick-and-roll whose ability to pick at mismatches allowed the Warriors to create efficient offense off of a defense being placed on a blender due to the initial advantage.
Inverted PnR for JK gets him the mismatch on Nembhard. Horford's relocation creates the rotation situation, Dubs move the ball around and Melton attacks the closeout for the layup. pic.twitter.com/EHKxaPGycw
Kuminga may very well never replicate the kind of consistent all-around play that Butler was able to provide for the Warriors. But left with no choice in terms of which secondary scorer and advantage creator to pair with Steph Curry, Kerr deemed it necessary to reintroduce the embattled Kuminga into the rotation. Not only has Kuminga played two consecutive games of positive hoops — he has somewhat increased his value to the team, and by extension, his value to potential suitors who may be looking for a player profile that Kuminga fits.
That was probably the driving reason behind Kuminga being sidelined after tweaking his ankle and knee, an effort to maintain his health and fitness to prevent the sudden drop in value that a more serious injury would’ve brought. Kuminga reportedly receiving an MRI could be cause for concern, but in all likelihood it may be a precaution to rule out a more serious injury. But all indications have pointed toward Kuminga’s injury not being especially debilitating.
However, while Kuminga may continue this stretch of inspired play, it remains paramount that the Warriors move his contract, if only to resolve a situation that has outlived its welcome. Kuminga and the Warriors aren’t a fit long-term — that much is clear. For all parties to move on, the separation must be finalized.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart beat Connor Hellebuyck in a shootout to help give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Winnipeg shooters Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele came up empty against Daniil Tarasov in the tiebreaker.
Sam Bennett scored in regulation, and Tarasov stopped 17 shots for two-time defending champion Florida. Matthew Tkachuk had an assist for his first point of the season in his second game back from adductor muscle surgery.
The Panthers are 4-2-0 in their last six to improve to 26-20-3.
Cole Perfetti scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots. The Jets are 5-1-2 in their last eight to get to 20-23-7.
Bennett scored his 18th of the season with a one-timer with 1:11 left in the second. Perfetti tied it at 5:24 of the third.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sarah Strong scored 25 points, Azzi Fudd had 19 in her final collegiate appearance before a hometown crowd, and top-ranked UConn overwhelmed Georgetown 83-42 on Thursday night.
The defending national champion Huskies are 20-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 squad won its first 36 games before losing in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. UConn (10-0 Big East) has won 36 straight dating to last season and has only one ranked foe left on its regular-season schedule — the Huskies host No. 17 Tennessee on Feb 1.
Fudd grew up across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, and was a prep star at St. John’s College High School in Washington. Her parents — mom Katie played at Georgetown — and Georgia Amoore of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics were among a pro-UConn crowd at CareFirst Arena, the Mystics’ home.
Fudd missed her first seven 3s as UConn began 1 of 13 from deep, but the Huskies made their next four — two by Fudd and two by Strong. Fudd finished 8 of 19 from the field and 3 of 12 from 3.
UConn forced seven turnovers in the first seven minutes and jumped to a 20-2 lead. The Huskies then went nearly five minutes without a basket before Fudd found Strong for a layup to start a 21-2 run for a 41-12 advantage.
The Huskies had 15 steals in the first half, five by Ashlynn Shade, as they led 51-20 at halftime. Strong had 21 points at the break.
Brianna Scott scored eight points for Georgetown (11-8, 4-6), which has lost 41 straight against UConn, with its last victory coming on Feb. 27, 1993.
NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 94, NO. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 82, OT
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 of her 26 points in overtime, and Oklahoma stunned South Carolina.
The freshman guard made 4 of 14 field goals in regulation before hitting 5 of 5 shots in overtime.
Payton Verhulst scored 19 points and Raegan Beers had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Sooners (15-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference), who had lost three straight to ranked opponents Ole Miss, Kentucky and LSU since rising to No. 5 in the AP Top 25.
It matched the highest-ranked opponent Oklahoma has ever beaten. Most recently, the Sooners beat No. 2 Kansas State in 2024.
Tessa Johnson scored 19 points and Raven Johnson added 16 for South Carolina (19-2, 5-1), which had its 12-game win streak snapped. Joyce Edwards, who had averaged 20.6 points, finished with 12 on 3-for-12 shooting. The Gamecocks shot just 37% from the field.
NO. 5 VANDERBILT 81, AUBURN 53
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 20 points for her 15th 20-plus point performance of the season as Vanderbilt remained undefeated with a win over Auburn.
Sacha Washington had 18 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.
Vanderbilt went on an 8-0 run in the first quarter and shot 52.6% (10 of 19) from the floor to build a 23-12 lead after the first quarter.
Vanderbilt’s Aiyana Mitchell and Auburn’s A’riel Jackson led all scorers with eight points each in the first half.
Auburn (13-7, 2-4) was led by Harissoum Coulibaly, who finished with 13 points, and Kaitlyn Duhon with 11.
NO. 6 LSU 98, TEXAS A&M 54
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Milaysia Fulwiley had 23 points and five steals and LSU took advantage of a mistake-filled performance by Texas A&M and cruised to a victory.
LSU (18-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) was up by 21 points with about six minutes left in the third quarter before using an 18-0 run to push the lead to 74-35 with two minutes left in the quarter.
Grace Knox got the run going by scoring the first five points and Fulwiley scored seven points to keep it going. Knox had 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting.
The Aggies had four turnovers and missed five shots during that time to help the Tigers, who lead the nation in scoring, put the game out of reach.
The Tigers’ defense harassed Texas A&M (8-7, 1-5) into 25 turnovers, which they turned into 41 points.
It’s the fourth straight victory for LSU after the Tigers lost their only two games of the season in back-to-back contests against No. 11 Kentucky and No. 12 Vanderbilt.
Fatmata Janneh scored 14 points and Ny’Ceara Pryor added 13, but had six turnovers, for the Aggies. Texas A&M lost its third straight and for the fifth time in six games.
NO. 7 MICHIGAN 94, RUTGERS 60
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Syla Swords and Olivia Olson each scored 16 points to help Michigan rout Rutgers.
Mila Holloyway and Te’Yala Delfosse both had 15 for the Wolverines (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten), who jumped all over the Scarlet Knights (9-10, 1-7). Michigan hit 13 of 18 shots (72%) in the opening quarter to go up 31-13.
Swords hit all three of her 3-point attempts to score nine points in the first 10 minutes. Michigan was able to work the ball around efficiently for virtually any shot the team wanted, getting 11 assists on the 13 baskets.
Kaylah Ivey did her best to try and keep Rutgers in the game, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, including one from the Jersey Mike’s Arena logo about 28 feet from the basket. The Scarlet Knights trailed 43-24 at the half.
NO. 10 IOWA 85, NO. 15 MARYLAND 78, OT
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 20 points, and Iowa recovered in overtime to beat Maryland after the Hawkeyes blew a 17-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation Thursday night.
Iowa (17-2 8-0) remained unbeaten in Big Ten play, but not without a scare. The Terrapins trailed 66-49 in the fourth quarter before coming all the way back and tying the game at 73 on Oluchi Okananwa’s 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining.
Maryland (17-4, 5-4) briefly led in overtime, but its offense dried up late and the Hawkeyes pulled away again. Maryland lost its second straight after the Terps were beaten 97-67 at UCLA last weekend.
Chazadi Wright scored 18 points for the Hawkeyes, who have won seven in a row. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Maryland.
NO. 12 OHIO STATE 81, INDIANA 67
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points and Chance Gray and Kennedy Cambridge each added 13 for Ohio State in a comeback win over Indiana.
The Buckeyes (18-2, 7-1 Big Ten) were down 42-32 at halftime. But a 14-1 run in the third quarter, lasting almost three minutes, gave the Buckeyes the lead they would not relinquish. It is the fifth time this season Ohio State has gone into halftime trailing before going on to win the game.
Jaloni Cambridge scored 13 points in the second half and Gray added 10.
Lenée Beaumont scored 20 for Indiana (11-9, 0-8) and Shay Ciezki, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, added 19 before fouling out. Zania Socka-Nguemen had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ciezki was 7 of 11 from the field, including five made 3-pointers.
Indiana committed 26 turnovers, 15 in the second half, which turned into 34 Buckeye points. The Hoosiers shot 56.4% from the field, including 11 of 17 from 3-point range.
NO. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 74, SOUTHERN CAL 68
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kennedy Blair scored 21 points, and Michigan State women held off Southern California’s late surge for a victory.
Michigan State opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to stretch its lead to 66-54 with 5:15 remaining. Jazzy Davidson scored the last five points in a 10-0 run to help pull USC to 66-64 with 4:10 left before the Spartans sealed it from the free-throw line. Blair led the Spartans with eight points.
Blair shot 8 of 15 from the floor overall, made 5 of 6 free throws and had five steals. Grace VanSlooten scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds for Michigan State (18-2, 7-2 Big Ten), which rebounded from a 75-68 loss to then-No. 10 Iowa. Rashunda Jones scored 16 points and Ines Sotelo added 12 to go with seven rebounds for the Spartans.
Michigan State scored 25 points from 24 USC turnovers.
Kara Dunn scored 23 points and Jazzy Davidson added 21 to lead USC (11-8, 3-5). Kennedy Smith scored 15 points.
NO. 17 TENNESSEE 60, NO. 11 KENTUCKY 58
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mia Pauldo scored 21 points and Tennessee beat Kentucky 60-58 on Thursday night for its seventh victory in a row.
Pauldo, who hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season, shot 9 of 22 from the field and 2 of 11 from beyond the arc for the Lady Vols (14-3, 6-0 Southeastern Conference).
Ameila Hassett scored 16 points for Kentucky (17-4, 4-3). Jordan Obi had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Tonie Morgan scored 13. Clara Strack added 14 rebounds and nine points.
NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI 82, MISSOURI 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cotie McMahon scored 33 points to tie a career-high, and she added 12 points and five assists to help Mississippi beat Missouri.
McMahon, who was held to nine points in an 82-59 loss to Georgia on Sunday, was 13 of 23 from the field and 6 of 11 at the free-throw line to match her previous scoring high set on Jan. 21, 2024, against Iowa.
Sira Thienou also had a double-double for Ole Miss (17-4, 4-2 SEC) with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Latasha Lattimore added 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Grace Slaughter led Missouri (13-9, 1-6) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Shannon Dowell added 15 points. The Tigers have lost the last five matchup in the series.
On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo recap a week that turned the tide on the Mets' offseason and outlook for 2026.
First up, the guys react to the huge trade that landed top starter Freddy Peralta, along with Tobias Myers, in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.
Then Connor and Joe move on to the acquisition of center fielder Luis Robert Jr, the official introduction of Bo Bichette, the addition of Luis Garcia to the bullpen, and maybe more moves to come.
The show also goes Down on the Farm to look at how the trades affect the organization, and answer Mailbag questions about adding another outfielder, and the September return of Pete Alonso to Citi Field with the Orioles.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — American-born players Richy Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez made their debuts and helped the Mexican national team break a six-match winless streak with a 1-0 win over Panama in a warmup match Thursday for this year's World Cup.
Defender Richard Peralta scored an own goal in the 92nd minute to give Mexico its first win since last July, when it beat the United States in the Gold Cup final.
Ledezma, who was born in Phoenix to Mexican parents, made the one-time switch with FIFA after playing official matches with the United States. He started the match and played all 90 minutes.
Gutierrez, who was born in Berwyn, Illinois, did not have to apply for a country switch because he only played friendlies for the U.S. against Venezuela and Costa Rica in January 2025.
“Those were good minutes, I’m taking it one step at a time and now I’ll continue to grow,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez, who also was a starter and left the match in the 57th minute, was also on the CONCACAF Nations League roster last March but never got into a game.
Obed Vargas, who was born in Anchorage, Alaska, also was a starter for Mexico.
“Those three guys that were born in the United States and decided to play for Mexico, and for that reason alone they deserve my respect,” said Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre. “The three started off well, they’re kids with a future, I’m happy.”
Vargas, a midfielder, earned his first cap with the Mexico senior team in October 2024 with a substitute appearance against the United States in a 2-0 victory.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos broke a tie with 2:13 left with his third goal of the game and the Nashville Predators overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Thursday night.
After Stamkos tied it at 3 with 9:53 left with his second power-play goal of the game, Ryan O’Reilly beat the Senators to the puck behind the goal line and popped it out front to Stamkos, who batted it out of the air past goalie James Reimer.
O’Reilly set up the tying goal, too, firing a cross-crease feed to Stamkos with the man advantage. Nashville got the power play when Tim Stutzle cross-checked Stamkos.
Predators captain Roman Josi, playing his 1,000th NHL game, also assisted on the tying goal. The defenseman is the 84th player in NHL history to play his first 1,000 regular-season games with one franchise.
Stamkos had his second hat trick of the season and 16th overall to push his season goals total to 24. Jonathan Marchessault also scored, and Cole Smith had an empty-netter. Juuse Saros made 23 saves to help Nashville end a three-game losing streak.
Stephen Halliday scored his first NHL goal, and Ridly Greig and Dylan Cozens added goals for Ottawa. Reimer, making his third straight start after signing with the Senators on Jan. 12, stopped 21 shots.
Ottawa closed a three-game trip. It had earned points in five straight games.
Halliday opened the scoring at 6:03 of the first period, knocking in a rebound. With David Perron out after surgery to repair a sports hernia, Halliday was recalled from Belleville of the AHL in the morning. He scored in his 19th NHL game, all this season.
Up next
Senators: Host Carolina on Saturday night to open a four-game homestand.
MLB cleared ex-Giants reliever Sean Hjelle after he faced allegations of “abuse” from his wife this past summer, according to a new report.
NBC Sports Bay Area reported the league concluded its investigation and that Hjelle will not face any disciplinary action from MLB.
The league’s decision comes after Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, accused the righty of infidelity, along with “abuse” in a series of TikTok videos she posted back in June 2025.
“When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this once I finally found out about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse so I’ve been raising two boys alone,” she wrote on a TikTok — which has since been deleted — which showed her and her two sons.
Sean Hjelle of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 22, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images
In the caption under the video, Caroline wrote, “Yeah I’ve had to be silent for too long about this.”
“I don’t have an official comment right now,” Hjelle told reporters following a game against the Red Sox on June 21, 2025. “I would like to actually talk with my agent, my lawyer. This has been something that’s been going on for over a year now in terms of our relationship and our divorce and our separation and everything. … I just want to talk to the appropriate people and figure out what the steps are, just kind of taking it stride right now.
“So no comment right now. I feel confident saying that I will have one eventually. I don’t have an exact timeline on that, but I would like to actually get with the people that are handling the situation with me and for me before I actually make an official statement.”
Hjelle, who spent four seasons in the MLB with the Giants, signed a deal with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s Nippon Baseball League after a shaky 2025 in San Francisco.
In 12 appearances with the Giants, Hjelle — who at 6 feet 11 is listed as the tallest player in MLB history alongside ex-Mets reliever Jon Rauch — posted a 7.80 ERA and was sent down to the minors in the middle of the season.
Stephen Curry got whatever he wanted at American Airlines Center on Thursday, but the Dallas Mavericks (19-26) pulled ahead late in a back-and-forth game to beat the Golden State Warriors (25-21), 123-115. Curry nailed eight 3-pointers and led all scorers with 38 points in the loss, but Cormac Karl “Max” Christie and Naji Marshall keyed a late 24-5 run that proved too much for the Warriors overcome.
Marshall led the Mavs with 30 points on an insane 10-of-12 shooting night to go along with nine assists in the win, while Christie and rookie sensation Cooper Flagg added 21 apiece in a well-rounded and highly satisfying Dallas win. The Mavs overcame 22 turnovers by shooting 51% from the field on their way to the win, which is the team’s sixth in its last nine.
Cooper Flagg: B+
21 PTS / 11 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 30 MIN
Flagg was the only defender back early in the first quarter and snuffed out Draymond Green’s transition try before taking the ensuing outlet pass coast-to-coast for the game’s first score and a three-point play opportunity. Two possessions later, he pulled up from near the foul line for a jumper that put the Mavericks up 6-0. Flagg missed his first three tries from 3-point range, though.
Flagg’s turnover on the first possession of the second quarter was the Mavericks’ eighth of the game and led directly to an easy transition dunk from Quinten Post to give the Warriors a 29-24 lead. Two minutes later, Green drew a charge against Flagg on Flagg’s drive through traffic, but Flagg followed Thompson’s missed 3-pointer the next time down for a highlight put-back jam to give the Mavericks a 31-29 lead with 9:20 left before the half. Less than a minute later, Flagg followed Max Christie’s miss in transition with another putback bucket as part of a 12-4 Mavs’ run to open the second. Flagg scored the bucket that gave the Mavs back the lead late in the second as part of another quick 12-0 Dallas run. He scored 11 points and pulled down 9 boards in the first half, as the Mavericks took a 55-50 lead into the break.
After a quiet third quarter, Flagg knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game early in the fourth to bring the Mavs to within 92-89. He made a hard drive to the cup a minute later to keep Dallas connected, down 96-91, then got fouled while rising up for a monster slam the next time down. He turned the ball over four times and went just 4-of-7 from the free-throw line in the win.
Max Christie: A
21 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 36 MIN
Christie lost Steph Curry in the screen game along the perimeter on two of Curry’s three makes from 3-point range in the first quarter. After Curry’s third, Christie cashed in his first 3-pointer on the other end to give the Mavs a 14-9 lead midway through the first. He hit another late in the second from the right corner to pull the Mavs to within 45-44. His third of the first half came with under a minute to play in the second, from the same spot, and extended the Dallas lead to 51-45.
Christie’s fourth 3-ball of the game was another big one with 5:42 left in the third. He rose up from the right wing on a find from P.J. Washington for the score that put the Mavericks up 70-69. He knifed through the lane for his first two-point score of the game less than a minute later to extend that lead to 72-69.
Christie scored his 15th and 16th points of the game on the Mavericks’ second possession of the fourth quarter, a touch bucket inside that pulled the Mavs to within 89-86. He stepped on the sideline while pump-faking a shot in the corner for Dallas’ 18th turnover of the ballgame with 10 minutes left to play. His fifth 3-ball of the contest came as part of a key 10-0 spurt from the Mavs and tied the game, 96-96, with 8:26 left in the game.
Caleb Martin: D+
0 PTS / 2 REB / 1 AST / 2 BLK / 20 MIN
Martin threw away a terrible pass in transition late in the first quarter, then was called for a hook and an offensive foul on the Mavs’ next possession with 3:45 left in the opener. The Warriors took their first lead of the game on the other end as a result, on Jonathan Kuminga’s first two buckets in the Warriors’ last 16 games. Martin got his transition dunk attempt blocked by Buddy Hield with two minutes left in the first to continue his rough start.
Martin started the third quarter, but Mavs head coach Jason Kidd kept him on a much shorter leash in favor of Brandon Williams, who played a brilliant first half against the Warriors.
Marshall was called for a technical foul midway through the second quarter after DeAnthony Melton scored in transition, then lost the ball on the Mavs’ next possession for Dallas’ 11th turnover of the game. He was late getting out to defend Moses Moody along the perimeter on the next Warriors’ possession and gave up a 3-pointer that put Golden State in front, 43-39 with less than five minutes to play before halftime. The lane opened up for Marshall on a drive in secondary transition less than a minute later, and his score brought Dallas to within 45-41.
Marshall picked up his 15th and 16th points of the game on a little flip inside midway through the third to bring Dallas to within 69-67. He hit his first 3-pointer of the game with 2:45 left in the third from the right corner to put the Mavericks ahead 82-77. He scored back-to-back buckets inside as part of a late 12-0 run that extended the Mavs’ lead late to 113-101.
Powell grabbed eight rebounds in the first half (three on the offensive glass) on his way to 12 in the loss. His try-hard modus is as laudable in his 12th season as it was when he got here. Powell slipped past Green, who lost sight of Powell with the ball in his hands, with 7:20 left in the third quarter for his second bucket of the game to keep the Mavs within four after Golden State scored the first eight points of the second half.
Powell’s 3-point play in transition from Marshall with 5:54 remaining put the Mavs up 109-101 and was a huge moment in the back-and-forth affair. It also gave him a double-double on the night. Powell absolutely outworked Green on both ends of the floor as Green fouled out of the game with 3:50 left to play.
Klay Thompson: C-
6 PTS / 6 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 23 MIN
Thompson was quiet in the first quarter, bricking his first 3-point attempt from the top of the key nine minutes into the game, before getting his pocket picked the next time down. He turned it over again with a minute left in the first on a play that led to a bucket from Brandon Podziemski on the other end as Golden State took a 27-24 lead at the end of one.
Thompson cashed in his first two 3-point attempts of the second quarter to key the Mavericks’ 12-4 run to start the frame. He went quiet in the third quarter, though, as Golden State pulled back in front late in the frame.
Nembhard was used sparingly, shooting just 1-of-4 from the field in the first half. He turned the ball over on a surprise attack trap to start the fourth, the Mavs’ 17th giveaway of the game. Nembhard canned a step-back 3-pointer near the top of the key with 7:45 left to play to swing Dallas back in front, 99-96.
Moussa Cisse: C
1 PTS / 1 REB / 1 STL / 6 MIN
Cisse saw most of his action in the first half and was a non-factor for the most part against the Warriors, as Powell stole the show.
Brandon Williams: A
19 PTS / 5 REB / 4 AST / 27 MIN
Williams was a blur driving through the lane off the bench against Golden State in the first half. He scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was decisive on his drives, darting to the hoop past whatever defender was in front of him. His driving bucket split two defenders as the last few seconds of the first half ticked down, and his leaner in the lane gave Dallas its 55-50 lead at the interval.
Williams got to the free-throw line on yet another drive with 4:47 left in the third and the game tied at 72-72 but made just 1-of-2 at the stripe. He came into Thursday having scored 15 or more points in seven of his last 10 games. Williams used a clever little crossover dribble to get to the line again the next time down and cashed in both this time to put the Mavs ahead 75-72. He finished off a lob from Marshall with 3:45 left in the third on a high-flying bucket, before stepping back for a perimeter jumper to put Dallas up 79-72. He was late to get to Melton on a corner 3-pointer that tied the pulled the Warriors back in front, 85-82, with 1:44 left in the third and forced a timeout from Mavericks’ head coach Jason Kidd.
P.J. Washington: B-
10 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 2 STL / 3 BLK / 22 MIN
Washington came in off the bench in the first quarter and got his first bucket on a tough offensive rebound in the lane with 3:30 left in the opener. He hit his only 3-point attempt of the first half, but didn’t have an outsized impact on the proceedings other than that. Washington’s steal as the only man back led to the Max Christie 3-pointer that pulled the Mavs back in front, 70-69, with 5:42 left in the third quarter. His well-defended dunk attempt that somehow fell after teetering on the rim for a second or two brought the Mavs to within 85-84 with just over a minute left in the third. He was tenacious on the defensive end, contributing five stocks in the win.
Tyrese Maxey – 18 VJ Edgecombe – 6 Paul George – 5 Joel Embiid – 4 Andre Drummond – 2 Dominick Barlow – 1 Adem Bona – 1 Justin Edwards – 1 Quentin Grimes – 1 Jared McCain – 1 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
The Sixers have been inconsistent, at best, in their play lately, but on Thursday night, they put together one of their better performances of the season against a strong Houston Rockets opponent. A game that was back and forth the entire way, with neither team ever leading by double digits, came down to the final play in regulation. Tyrese Maxey’s layup attempt should have been called a goaltend for the game-winning points, but was not reviewable. However, the Sixers didn’t let that bad no-call deter them, staying focused to pull out the 128-122 victory in overtime. We have some excellent options for Bell Ringer tonight so let’s get to it.
For whatever reason, Joel Embiid had some extra pep in his step tonight. Maybe it was just going up against a good opponent, or facing Team USA teammate Kevin Durant, or possibly because it was the two-year anniversary of his 70-point game. His staring down Alperen Sengun after a dunk said it all. Whatever the reason, it all ended up with Joel’s first triple-double of the season. Offensively, Embiid attacked mismatches in the post time and again, but also did a nice job reading when help was coming and finding open teammates underneath and around the arc. It was a perfect mix of raw strength and some finesse, as we saw with his gorgeous spin move around Clint Capela. Defensively, it was as spry as we’ve probably seen Joel on the season, going hard after defensive rebounds and coming down with them in contested situations. Physically, he wound up playing a season-high 46 minutes and looked no worse for wear towards the end of it.
Moving back into the starting lineup in place of Dominick Barlow with the other usual four starters all available, Kelly Oubre made Nick Nurse look very wise indeed. Oubre continued his hot shooting from recent games, going a highly efficient 10-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three. He operated effectively as a spot-up shooter, but also as a driver and lurking along the baseline for a couple of timely buckets. Kelly was arguably even better on the defensive end. Although his raw stats don’t show it, with just one block (an outstanding swat of a Tari Eason corner three attempt), Kelly was everywhere defensively. He disrupted and made life difficult for a slew of Rockets; his harassment played a big part in Kevin Durant having eight turnovers on the night. It was maybe the best two-way performance we’ve seen from Oubre in his time as a Sixer.
Kelly Oubre Jr. keeps cooking to close Q1, leads the Sixers with 11 points after the opening period 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d2UpplCgCk
Maxey’s recent cold shooting spell continued, going just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. However, he didn’t let that stop him from helping the team in the other areas of the game. Defensively, it was Tyrese’s fourth straight game with at least three steals, as he has learned to pick his spots (and opponent’s pockets) extremely well to jumpstart transition opportunities. Then, in his 43 minutes of action, he kept attacking, and his speed wore down the increasingly tired legs of the Rockets’ defenders. Maxey was Mr. Clutch for the Sixers on the night. He scored 11 points in the final four minutes of regulation to bring the Sixers back from down six points (and should have had another two points on what would have correctly been called the game-winner). He then dropped six points in the overtime period to carry Philadelphia across the finish line.
The Florida Panthers kicked off their three-game road trip in chilly Manitoba on Thursday night.
Florida dug deep and picked up a crucial 2-1 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets.
The game remained scoreless until late in the second period thanks to some excellent defensive hockey from both teams.
For Florida, their play in their own end of the ice was inspiring, taking away the middle of the ice from the Jets and frustrating them over and over.
A faceoff in the Winnipeg zone with just over a minute to go led to the game’s opening goal.
Playing in just his second game of the season, Matthew Tkachuk picked up the puck along the half wall and sent a nice, flat pass to the slot.
That’s where Sam Bennett was waiting, and he blasted a one-timer past Connor Hellebuyck to give Florida a 1-0 lead at the 18:49 mark.
Winnipeg tied the game 5:24 into the third period, and after playing such a sound defensive game, it was a turnover in their own zone that cost the Cats their lead.
As Uvis Balinskis tried to skate with the puck toward his own blue line, he had his pocket picked from behind by Jonathan Toews.
Toews then fed Cole Perfetti across the zone and his quick forehand-backhand move was enough to fool Daniil Tarasov and knot the score at one.
That’s how the game would remain though regulation and the three-on-three overtime, which meant it was destined to end in a shootout.
Goals by Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart, as well as a pair of stops by Tarasov, earned the Panthers two big points.
The win was also the first for Paul Maurice back in Winnipeg since he was coaching the Jets.
On to Minnesota, where it may actually be colder than it was in Winnipeg.
Photo caption: Jan 22, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates his goal on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) in the second period at Canada Life Centre. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)
For the third time in four games, the Ottawa Senators squandered a multi-goal lead, only this time, they didn’t even manage to earn a regulation point. Steven Stamkos scored three goals, including the game-winner with just over a minute remaining, to lead the Nashville Predators to a 5-3 victory over the Senators on Thursday night.
Ottawa had grabbed an early 3-0 lead and looked strong for 40 minutes, fueled by Steven Halliday’s first NHL goal and some excellent goaltending from James Reimer, who made 22 saves in the loss.
First Period
After being called up earlier in the day to replace injured forward David Perron, Halliday got the Senators on the board just over six minutes into the game. Nick Cousins did some strong work behind the Nashville net before feeding Lars Eller, whose wraparound attempt was stopped. The puck then trickled out to Halliday, who chipped a backhand past Juuse Saros to open the scoring.
Just over eight minutes later, Ridly Greig made it 2–0 with his eighth goal of the season. Michael Amadio made a slick move at his own blue line to create a long passing lane to Greig at the far blue line. Greig sprinted in alone and beat Saros between the legs to double the lead.
It appeared Greig had added another goal in the dying moments of the first period after crashing the net, but the goal was disallowed. Greig entered the blue paint on his own, and it appeared he may have directed the puck in with his arm.
A notable moment in the opening period came when tensions flared between Shane Pinto and Steven Stamkos. After Stamkos rubbed Pinto out along the boards, Pinto responded with a chop to the back of the legs. Stamkos angrily returned fire with a slash and a cross-check.
Also worth a mention was the incredible skate save by James Reimer on Cole Smith. In a scramble in front, Reimer was already stretched out but still managed to extend his left leg to prevent a sure goal.
Second Period
Midway through the second period, Dylan Cozens made it 3–0 Ottawa, deflecting Artem Zub’s point shot. It was Cozens’ 16th goal of the season, matching his total from all of last year in just his 50th game.
Reimer made another elite save with just under two minutes left in the second. He appeared completely down and out but reached back behind him with his blocker and stick to absolutely rob Jonathan Marchessault.
However, Jordan Spence was called for hooking on the play, and on the ensuing power play, Nashville finally got on the board. Luke Evangelista hit Stamkos with a perfect pass in the slot, and he skated into a full slap shot like it was the skills competition at the All-Star Game. Reimer had zero chance and that cut the lead to 3–1.
Third Period
Still up by 3-1 just over four minutes into the third period, Fabian Zetterlund took a two-minute minor for high-sticking. They killed off the penalty thanks to some strong PK work, particularly from Tim Stützle. As the penalty expired, Stützle had a bit of misfortune, breaking in alone on goal and appearing to be the victim of an uncalled holding penalty.
As that happened, two Nashville players jumped off off the ice at the Nashville blue line, replaced by two Predators who jumped on at the red line, behind the Sens D, leading to a 2 on 0, finished off by Marchessault to cut the lead to 3-2.
It could easily have been called too many men on Nashville.
Here's a good snap of how the 2 on 0 happened. Two Preds jump off at the blue line, the two replacements jump on at the red line. Defense is hard enough to play without new guys jumping on the ice early, 30 feet behind you. https://t.co/7X5e104CPB
The momentum seemed to swing with the Zetterlund penalty with Nashville's offensive guns getting loads of touches in the offensive zone.
Two minutes later, with Nashville pressing, Stutzle got called for crosschecking Stamkos in a wild goalmouth scramble. Stamkos made him pay by one timing a cross ice pass through the slot to tie the game.
Stamkos wasn't done there. He completed his hat trick with just over one minute to play. Ryan O'Reilly beat Nick Jensen badly on a forecheck, won the puck cleanly, and centred it to Stamkos who flicked home a puck out of the air.
As the Preds celebrated their comeback, Brady Tkachuk broke his stick on the Sens goal post in frustration.
Nashville added an empty netter to seal the win, the latest in a string of emotional setbacks for the Senators in 2026.
The Sens are back at it on Saturday at home versus the Carolina Hurricanes. The next three games are against Carolina (2nd overall), Vegas (9th overall), and Colorado (1st overall).
