He was injured at the 4:35 mark in the first quarter of the contest after receiving a low post entry pass from Payton Pritchard.
Vucevic was being guarded by Mavericks center Moussa Cisse when Mavs teammate Khris Middleton went to help and took a swipe at Boston's big man, making contact with his hand. No foul was called.
Vucevic passed the ball back to Pritchard before fading to the corner. After Pritchard turned the ball over, Dallas went back and scored on the other end.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called a timeout at the 4:21 mark, and seemingly discussed the no-call with an official, as the Mavericks took a 13-12 lead.
CHICAGO (AP) — Brock Boeser batted the puck in to break a tie at 2:40 of the third period and the NHL-worst Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak that started in January.
Boeser smacked the puck past Arvid Soderblom after Linus Karlsson's cross-ice feed ramped up the goalie's stick and into the air. Max Sasson and Boeser added empty-netters.
Drew O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk and Teddy Blueger had first-period goals and Nikita Tolopilo stopped 20 shots to help Vancouver win for the first time since a 2-0 home victory over Anaheim on Jan. 29. The Canucks had lost 10 of 11.
Ryan Donato, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar scored for Chicago in its fourth loss in five games since the Olympic break. Soderblom made 16 saves.
Before the game, Chicago traded forward Nick Foligno to Minnesota for future considerations. Andrew Mangiapane made his debut for the Blackhawks after being acquired from Edmonton on Wednesday.
Vancouver made a couple of big moves leading up to the trade deadline Friday, sending defenseman Tyler Myers to Dallas on Wednesday and winger Conor Garland to Columbus late Thursday. In December, the Canucks made the biggest deal of the season when they shipped captain Quinn Hughes to Minnesota.
Vancouver led 3-2 after a period. There were three goals in the first 2:32 and four in the first 6:32.
Donato opened the scoring for Chicago on a backhander at 1:08. Vancouver scored the next three — O’Connor at 2:08, DeBrusk at 2:32, both on tips, and Blueger at 6:32.
Mikheyev scored for Chicago from the slot with eight minutes left in the period, and Nazar tied it on a tip with 43 seconds to go in second.
Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates after making a three point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Winslow Townson/Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Jaylen Brown had 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-100 on Friday night in Jayson Tatum’s first game in almost 10 months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon.
Tatum had 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a rust-filled 27 minutes. He played in five- and six-minute spurts in his first game since suffering the injury in during Game 4 of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to New York in May.
Derrick White added 20 points to help Boston win for the fourth time in five games. Dallas has lost six straight.
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, a Maine native playing his first game in TD Garden, had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Dallas. Klay Thompson finished with 19 points, and Naji Marshall had13 points.
Tatum missed his first six shots, including three 3-pointers. But he continued to look for his teammates and actively screening to initiate the offense.
The Celtics have 19 games remaining in the regular season, including 11 at TD Garden to try to ramp up Tatum for the playoffs.
CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 3: Keyshawn Bryant #9 of Windy City Bulls dunks the ball during the game against the Cleveland Charge on March 3, 2026 at Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Charge continued their impressive season on Friday as they cruised to an easy 125-99 win over the shorthanded Windy City Bulls thanks to standout performances from Riley Minix and Tristan Enaruna. The victory pulls the Charge within a half game of the top spot in the conference.
G League success is defined in two ways. Are you winning? And are your players being called up? The Charge have checked both boxes, which is incredibly difficult to do because that means you need to be continually replacing the players who were just called up.
“It means that we have an incredible group, an incredible organization, and a staff that just continues to pour into these guys,” Charge head coach Eli Kell-Abrams said. “I just could not be prouder of the group we have. It’s really hard to lose the guys you lose and maintain your culture.”
One of the culture pieces they lost was Norchad Omier, who recently signed a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. This left a hole inside, which is why they targeted Olivier Sarr to fill that role. The Cleveland Cavaliers signed him to a two-way deal, and he made his debut with the Charge on Friday.
Kell-Abrams said he was proud of the way Sarr fought through adversity in his first game with the team. Sarr picked up two fouls in the first minute of the second half, which forced him to sit out the rest of the third quarter. He made up for lost time by pouring in 14 of his 18 points in the final quarter to help the Charge extend their 10-point lead at the beginning of the quarter into the 26-point blowout it became.
“He offers a level of rim protection that’s unprecedented in the G, and it’s something we’re going to rely on,” Kell-Abrams said after Sarr picked up a block and two steals to go along with his all-around good debut, albeit in just 21 minutes of play.
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Minix is another player the Charge added midway through the season, who has allowed them to keep momentum going. The Cavs signed him to a two-way deal in the middle of February. He once again made an impact with his outside shot, going 4-8 from three in his 22-point performance.
Despite how well the on-court results have been for Minix since coming to Cleveland — he came into this game averaging 19.9 points and 7.1 rebounds on .549/.461/.774 shooting splits — how he’s fit into the overall team structure is what has impressed his head coach.
“With his skill level, he could have come in and just been about his shots, been about his minutes, been about whatever he needed to do to get to the next level,” Kell-Abrams said. “But he bought into the group, and he won the guys instantly.”
Friday’s win was also carried by two guys who’ve been here all season: Enaruna and Darius Brown II.
It’s easy to talk yourself into Enaruna making an impact at the next level sooner rather than later. He’s a 6’7” wing who can attack off-the-dribble, has good lateral quickness, and most importantly has a great feel for the game.
There’s always room on an NBA court for people who have that skill. Especially one who has improved his outside shot as much as Enaruna has.
Confidence in the outside shot has been an issue with Enaruna, but that’s turning around. He shot 28.6% from three during the first 14 games of the Tip-Off Tournament, but is connecting on 47.9% of his threes since the regular season began around the start of the new year.
Enaruna attributes the improvement to having more confidence in his shot.
“Basketball is very statistics-based,” Enaruna said.
That got into his head to the point that he would worry about misses so much that it affected how he reacted when he got the ball open on the perimeter.
“I could feel my body tense up because I wanted to make it so bad,” Enaruna said. The solution was coming to a better understanding that you aren’t defined by one shot and trusting the work that you put in.
“I’ve shot thousands of threes,” Enaruna said. “I know how to make them. You just got to trust your body to do that.”
That worked on Friday, as Enaruna went 3-7 from deep en route to a 25-point, 11-rebound, and two-assist night.
Brown once again contributed 15 or more assists for the fifth time this season as he collected 18 in the victory.
“He drives it all,” Kell-Abram said of Brown. “When you have guys that are not about themselves, that are pass first in a league that is not a pass-first league, that makes us different than everybody else.”
This Charge team has indeed been different all season. They’re within striking distance of the first spot in the conference and have a deep enough team to make a run in the postseason. And that’s because this group has been built on the right things and has completely bought into each other’s success.
“It starts with the foundation,” Enaruna said. “The coaching staff putting a plan together before the season about how we’re going to do things right, no matter who we got on our squad. Whether guys are going up and down, we have this system that works, and everybody just buys in. It works for everybody.”
HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun scored 28 points, Amen Thompson had 26 and the Houston Rockets used a dominant fourth quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-99 on Friday night.
Sengun shot 11 of 15 from the field while playing just 26 minutes due to foul trouble, while Thompson converted all but one of his 12 shot attempts and scored eight points in the fourth quarter.
Houston trailed 85-77 after Matisse Thybuille drained a 3-pointer a minute into the final period, but Portland missed 11 of its next 13 shots and the Rockets went on a 23-4 run that covered close to eight minutes.
Houston shot 67% in the fourth quarter, outscoring Portland 29-17.
Kevin Durant added 20 points for the Rockets (39-23), who entered the day tied for fourth in the Western Conference.
Jerami Grant led Portland with 21 points. Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists, while Donovan Clingan finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Toumani Camara made four 3-pointers while scoring 14 points in a first quarter that ended with Portland leading 34-27.
Sengun scored 15 points in the second quarter on 6-of-8 shooting to help the Rockets take a 57-56 lead into halftime.
Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija missed his sixth straight game with a low back injury. Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. also sat out one night after returning from the sprained right ankle that sidelined him the previous two games.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 24 points and West Virginia finished off a season sweep of UCF with a 77-62 victory on Friday night to close out the Big 12 Conference regular season.
Huff made 4 of 14 from 3-point range and all 10 of his free throws for the Mountaineers (18-13, 9-9), who posted a 74-67 victory over UCF on Feb. 14. Brenen Lorient missed just one shot and scored 14. Reserve Chance Moore had 13 points and Jasper Floyd scored 10.
Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel both scored 16 for the Knights (20-10, 9-9), who have lost three in a row since beating then-No. 19 BYU 97-84 on Feb. 24. Jordan Burks totaled 14 points and nine rebounds.
Huff hit two of West Virginia's four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes to help the Mountaineers take an 18-10 lead. Floyd and Harlan Obioha followed with layups to cap a 9-0 run for a 12 point advantage.
UCF trailed by as many as 13, but Burks' layup with one second left made it 32-23 at halftime. UCF shot 35.5% overall, missed 5 of 6 from 3-point range and did not attempt a free throw in the first 20 minutes.
Fulks had a layup to get UCF within 44-40 with 12 minutes left, but the Knights would get no closer.
Huff was fouled beyond the arc, made all three three throws, then hit a 3-pointer before a three-point play by Moore capped a 9-1 spurt and West Virginia wasn't threatened over the final 10:22.
The rest of the Big 12 concludes play Saturday.
Up next
The conference tournament begins Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings are determined to prove that this March, a month they've heavily struggled in during the last three campaigns, will be different this time around.
But it's hard not to feel the listless feelings of the last three years creeping in after the way the club’s last two games have unfolded.
For the second consecutive game at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings dropped a contest against an opponent that had lost on the road the previous night before traveling to Detroit.
On Wednesday evening, it was the Vegas Golden Knights. And on Friday evening, it was the Florida Panthers, a team fighting for its playoff lives and which had lost its previous four games in a row, that dealt the Red Wings a disappointing loss.
Matthew Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin's Team USA teammate with whom he won a gold medal late last month, scored his sixth career hat-trick and first since 2024 in a 3-1 win over Detroit.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 7, 2026
Even more concerning was that Larkin was injured midway through the third period after going down awkwardly on the ice. He slowly made his way back to the bench while hunched over, before heading immediately to the dressing room and did not return.
Larkin leaves hurt after a weird fall - skate slipped and made him do the splits. Seemed to be in some pain, have to hope nothing is torn... #LGRWpic.twitter.com/lUuUDxY1lF
Matthew Tkachuk scored the first of his three goals on the night after Michael Rasmussen turned the puck over in the corner. Carter Verhaeghe then sent a pass to a wide-open Tkachuk in front of the net, where he one-timed it past John Gibson.
The Red Wings knotted the score in the second period while enjoying a five-on-three advantage. Alex DeBrincat netted his 32nd goal of the season after he batted the puck out of the air off a rebound from the boards past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
However, throughout the game, Bobrovsky looked more like the goaltender who helped lead the Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cup titles over the past two springs than the struggling netminder who entered the game with a goals-against average north of 3.00.
He turned aside everything Detroit threw at him and also caught a break when a shot from Dylan Larkin dribbled through his legs and slid just inches wide of the post. Minutes later, he made another stop on the goal line as Larkin tried to jam the puck in from the side of the net.
He also robbed Patrick Kane's deflection of a pass from DeBrincat from in tight.
Tkachuk scored his second goal of the game early in the third period on the power-play, deflecting Sam Reinhart's shot past Gibson after a failed clearing attempt by defenseman Albert Johansson.
With Gibson pulled for the extra attacker, Tkachuk completed the hat trick by firing the puck into the open net from his own defensive zone.
Bobrovsky finished the game with 28 saves, while Gibson countered with 20 saves.
The Red Wings, who acquired defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues on Friday, expect the veteran defenseman to join them in New Jersey for their next game against the Devils on Sunday.
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The NHL's trade deadline is officially complete, and while the Los Angeles Kings didn't have a loud day on Friday, they made some moves.
Though these trades aren't franchise-altering by any means, Kings GM Ken Holland deserves some credit for what he's done, and here's why.
For starters, back on Feb. 4, he made a grand addition, bringing in superstar left winger Artemi Panarin. While it wasn't technically a deal that was made at the trade deadline, the Kings only lost prospect Liam Greentree and a couple of conditional draft picks, none of which were first-rounders.
On Friday's deadline day, the Kings made a pair of moves. The first trade was sending right winger Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
"When Tampa called, it was (Perry's) decision," Holland told reporters in a press conference. "He wanted to go there, so we got a second-round pick."
With the Foegele and Perry trades, as well as the Phillip Danault deal with the Montreal Canadiens back in December, Los Angeles has six second-round picks for the next three drafts, including three for 2026.
"Coming into the deadline… I wanted to try and get another pick or two for our scouts," Holland said. " I think it's important that we got to continue to draft, try to get some young players in the organization."
Later in the day, not long before the 12 p.m. PST cutoff, Los Angeles acquired center Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs. That trade costs the team a 2026 third-round pick, which becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs.
"Laughton's a veteran guy," the Kings GM mentioned. "He's a center iceman, he can kill penalties, wins draws, competitive, and just gives us more depth."
On Thursday, Joseph was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues for the purpose of contract termination and became a UFA on Friday.
Los Angeles' GM said that head coach D.J. Smith is familiar with Joseph from their time with the Senators' organization. Joseph's best seasons were under Smith, including in 2023-24 when he recorded a career-high 35 points, registering 11 goals and 24 assists.
While it may seem like a boring and bleak addition, it's a more sensible move than some may think.
The Kings departed from Foegele and Perry just before the deadline, meaning there were two holes in the bottom-six forward group.
Scott Laughton (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
One was filled with the acquisition of Laughton, and the other with Joseph. But there's more of an explanation behind this decision, specifically between Foegele and Joseph.
Joseph, 29, and one year younger than Foegele, has scored more points than the former King this season.
Joseph has two goals and 11 points in 39 appearances, while Foegele has seven goals and nine points in 47 games.
Furthermore, Joseph comes at a much lower cap hit than Foegele's $3.5 million. Not to mention, Foegele fetched the Kings a second-round pick for the upcoming draft, while Joseph was brought in for no exchange of assets and a low cap hit.
Essentially, Holland grabbed a second-rounder for an underachieving Foegele while acquiring another player of a similar position with no assets, and is outperforming Foegele in terms of offensive production.
In summary, the Kings' GM was crafty and looked to bring in the most value that he could with the assets he had. The team brings in a handful of draft picks for the future, while slightly upgrading their personnel up front with Laughton and Joseph over and underperforming Foegele and an aging pending UFA in Perry.
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Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) works in the post against Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) during the first half at Ball Arena.
The Celtics have lost one of their big men for the foreseeable future.
Center Nikola Vucevic fractured his right ring finger early on during Friday’s 120-100 win over the Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Vucevic is set to undergo a procedure on Saturday and will miss about one month.
Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) works in the post against Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) during the first half at Ball Arena. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Boston acquired Vucevic, 35, near the trade deadline last month from the Bulls in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons.
The move provided the Celtics with a veteran big man to pair alongside 26-year-old Neemias Queta and 27-year-old Luka Garza for the final stretch of the regular season.
The two-time All-Star has made just one start since landing in Boston, averaging 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes in 11 games.
Vucevic’s injury comes the same day Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum made his return following an Achilles tear he suffered during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.
Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) dribbles down the court defended by Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during the first half at TD Garden. Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Tatum did have some rust to shake off during Friday’s game, shooting 2-for-8 from the field during the first half.
The six-time All-Star finished the game with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and a steal while shooting 6-for-16 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Despite being without their star player, Boston has played well this season, sitting second in the Eastern Conference with a 42-21 record.
During an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast” in January, Tatum admitted that he was concerned about fitting into a team that was performing so well without him.
“If or when I do come back this season, they will have played 50-some-odd games without me, so they have an identity this year or things that they’ve felt have clicked for them,” he said. “And it’s been successful. They’re the (second) team in the East up to this point.”
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 6: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics guards Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game on March 6, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (21-42) played the Boston Celtics (42-21) on Friday, losing 120-100 at TD Garden. The game was a dual return of sorts, with Cooper Flagg coming back (near) home and Jason Tatum making his season debut after 298 days on the shelf following an Achilles injury last season.
The first half was close, but things started to slip away in the third quarter before coming completely unraveled in the late stages
35.3%: Combined shooting percentage in an ugly first quarter
The Mavericks have made a habit of falling behind big in the first quarter. Friday night flipped the script, but just barely, as Dallas led 22-21 after the first frame. Despite carrying a lead after 12 minutes, nothing was pretty for either team to start things off. Dallas connected on 8-of-23 shots, with Boston hitting 10-of-28. Compounding things, the Mavericks only had two starters in the scoring column; Flagg with six and Khris Middleton with three. Max Christie, P.J. Washington and Dwight Powell combined for zero first quarter and only 19 for the game.
+13: Boston’s rebounding differential
Without Daniel Gafford and Marvin Bagley, Dallas rolled out a center tandem of Powell and Moussa Cisse. The two combined for 12 rebounds, but no single player broke double figures as Flagg led the way with eight. Boston meanwhile had two starters combine for 27 boards en route to out-rebounding Dallas by double digits as a team. Giving a team that many more opportunities to possess the ball is a recipe for disaster.
58/42: Dallas’ bench-scoring vs. starter-scoring
The Mavericks bench-players outplayed the starters by a big margin. You may think that was because more bench players than starters actually played, however if you factor out Ryan Nembhard’s five points in the closing minutes, the other five bench players still chipped in 11 more points than the starters. Flagg and P.J. Washington combining to go 9-for-32 from the floor was certainly a big factor in the disparity.
4: Quarters in a basketball game
The Mavs must have thought the game was over after three quarters, because they really didn’t show up in the fourth until it was far too late. The box score looks borderline presentable, but the reality is that Dallas sat on seven fourth-quarter points for more than six minutes. Dallas couldn’t get much to fall throughout the night (40.9% field goals), but especially so in the fourth quarter as Boston easily pulled away.
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Cooper Flagg's homecoming at TD Garden was nearly cut short in the opening minutes of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics.
Flagg limped off the court after he drove toward the basket, while splitting two defenders, for a shot attempt. Flagg's shot was short as he went to the ground and immediately began holding his left leg and ankle.
The Florida Panthers opened the post-NHL Trade Deadline portion of their schedule on Friday night.
Florida is facing an incredibly difficult task in terms of trying to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but took a step in the right direction by picking up a solid 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
It was the Panthers who picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came off the stick of Matthew Tkachuk.
With Florida controlling the puck deep in Detroit’s zone, Carter Verhaeghe hustled to pick up the puck behind John Gibson’s net and sent a quick backhand pass to the slot, where Tkachuk had made himself at home between the circles.
Tkachuk’s quick one-timer gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 11:06 mark of the opening frame.
A pair of penalties on Anton Lundell and Gus Forsling midway through the second period led to the game-tying goal for Detroit.
While enjoying a two-man advantage, Alex DeBrincat picked up his 33rd goal of the season on a primary assist from Patrick Kane, knotting the score at one with 9:04 remaining until the final intermission.
Florida began the third period on the power play and quickly took advantage.
Once again it was Tkachuk, this time deflecting a shot by Sam Reinhart past Gibson to give Florida a 2-1 lead at the :35 second mark.
Tkachuk completed the hat trick late in the third, cashing in on an empty-net goal while giving the Panthers that all-important insurance tally.
Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 27 saves, including an impressive eight high-danger stops, to earn his 23rd win of the season.
The victory was Florida’s first in five games, sending the Cats back to Sunrise feeling good.
Photo caption: Mar 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
Nazem Kadri won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 and wasn't re-signed, starting the team's search for a No. 2 center.
They finally found one at the 2025 NHL trade deadline with Brock Nelson. But now they also have found a Kadri-style player.
Nazem Kadri.
The Avalanche and Calgary Flamesworked out a deal to bring back Kadri, giving up only Victor Olofsson off their roster, plus draft picks and an unsigned draft pick. Colorado now has enviable center depth and can trot out Nathan MacKinnon, Nelson, Kadri and fellow 2026 trade deadline acquisition Nicolas Roy.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who made the big move for Quinn Hughes earlier in the season, was busy during deadline week. He added penalty killing forward Michael McCarron and winger Bobby Brink, plus depth defenseman Jeff Petry. But his acquisition of Nick Foligno had an added benefit for the former Blackhawks captain. He'll get to play alongside his brother Marcus for the first time in their professional careers.
Sabres go all-in
The Sabres have been on a roll since Jarmo Kekalainen replaced fired Kevyn Adams as general manager. And the GM took steps to try to help the team end a record 14-season playoff drought. An attempted trade for Colton Parayko didn't materialize when the defenseman declined to waive his no-trade clause. Kekalainen responded with a trade for the Jets' Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, giving Buffalo a rugged third defensive pairing behind an impressive top four that includes Rasmus Dahlin. Sam Carrick was added to improve the team's league-worst faceoff winning percentage, and depth forward Tanner Pearson also joined. Schenn and Pearson have won Stanley Cup titles, important if the Sabres make a rare foray into the postseason.
Panthers hang on to free agents
The Panthers' run of back-to-back championships (and three trips to the Final) is heading toward an end because of a string of injuries that include captain Aleksander Barkov tearing his ACL on the first day of fall practice. GM Bill Zito traded pending free agent Petry but held on to free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer and will try to re-sign them. The Panthers' core, when healthy, is still championship caliber. If they can't overcome their deficit, they can heal up and try again next season.
LOSERS
Capitals players devastated
They took it hard when Nic Dowd was dealt to the Golden Knights after being in Washington since 2018-19. Then they woke up Friday morning to find out that 17-year veteran John Carlson was heading to Anaheim after a late-night trade.
"Today sucks, it's brutal," forward Tom Wilson told reporters. "I’m sure there are some guys that want to cry. That’s the reality of it. Today you can cry and tomorrow you got to wake up and be a big boy and go out and play hockey."
Awkward position for Colton Parayko
Parayko had every right to veto a trade to Buffalo. That's why agents negotiate no-trade clauses with teams. But the fact that news of the trade leaked made things awkward for the defenseman as he took the time to make a decision on his future.
"We did some due diligence as soon as that happened," general manager Doug Armstrong told reporters, according to the Post-Dispatch. "We checked the phone records of all of our staff, texts and emails, and everybody passed the test, not surprisingly. I was disappointed it got out. I know it didn't come from us."
The Maple Leafs gave up a first-round pick and a prospect last season to land Scott Laughton and two mid-round picks from the Flyers. Leafs general manager Brad Treliving traded the pending free agent to the Kings on Friday and received a conditional third-round pick. It can become a second-rounder if Los Angeles makes the playoffs.
New CBA rules
The new collective bargaining agreement included a playoff salary cap and rules making it harder for teams to use a second team to retain some salary in a trade. The result: Deadline day was fairly dull until the Kadri trade surfaced.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Herro had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the Miami Heat snapped the Charlotte Hornets' six-game winning streak with a 128-120 victory Friday night.
Herro was 8 for 10 from 3-point range, including one that broke a 108-all tie with 7:06 to play. That came during a 9-0 run after the Hornets led by two and was essentially the difference in the game.
Bam Adebayo added 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the Heat win their fourth straight game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 21 points off the bench. Miami was 18 for 38 (47%) on 3s.
Kon Knueppel scored 27 points for the Hornets, going 6 for 10 behind the arc. Brandon Miller had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while LaMelo Ball scored 21 points but was 7 for 22 from the field.
Charlotte fell back to .500 at 32-32. All the victories during the Hornets' winning streak had been by 15 or more points, tying the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors for the second-longest streak in NBA history.
The first meeting between the teams in four months showed how much things had changed for the Hornets. Miami rang up a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter of that Nov. 7 game, rolling to a 126-108 victory.
Charlotte had become the team hanging big numbers on opponents and tried to rally behind Knueppel, who hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut it to 120-117. But Herro hit a jumper and Dru Smith had a follow shot to push it back to seven.
The Hornets have another winning streak they will try to extend in their next game. They have won a franchise-record 10 straight on the road and go to Phoenix to begin a four-game trip Sunday.
Up next
Heat: Host Detroit on Sunday.
Hornets: At Phoenix on Sunday to open a four-game trip.
NEW YORK (AP) — Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin was suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the head, a punishment that will cost the Penguins forward nearly $160,000, the NHL announced Friday night.
Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct 35 seconds into the second period of the Penguins' 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Thursday night.
Video showed that Malkin and Dahlin made contact at the side of the Buffalo net. Dahlin cross-checked Malkin, for which he was penalized, and Malkin responded by raising his stick and striking Dahlin on his helmet and shoulder.
The NHL's Department of Player Safety noted that Malkin was not off-balance and the contact was not accidental.
The 39-year-old Malkin has been fined five times and suspended twice previously in his NHL career, one game for high-sticking Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl in February 2019 and four games in April 2022 for cross-checking Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki.
Malkin has 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games this season and 527 goals and 1,393 points in a 20-year NHL career, all in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are already without captain Sidney Crosby for a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury as the team, currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division, battles for playoff position.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Malkin will forfeit $158,854.15. That money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
