SEATTLE (AP) — Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored 18 seconds apart in the third period, Joey Daccord made 27 saves and the Seattle Kraken beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Sunday.
Ryker Evans and Jordan Eberle also scored for Seattle, which has won three of their last 10 games. Beniers was playing in his 300th career NHL game.
Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes scored for the Devils. Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 shots in his sixth start in New Jersey’s last seven games. The Devils conclude their four-game Pacific Division road trip with a 3-1-0 record.
Hamilton opened the scoring 8:11 into the first period with a clean shot on the power play. Scoring his sixth goal of the season, Hamilton now has eight points in his last nine games.
Evans tied the game at 7:37 in the second period. The shot hit Johnathan Kovacevic’s stick and slipped through Markstrom’s pads, who appeared to be heavily screened.
Beniers and Catton scored back-to-back for Seattle, with their goals coming at 7:04 and 7:22 in the third period, respectively.
Hughes gave New Jersey its second power-play goal of the game at 8:14, benefiting from a bounce off Adam Larsson’s leg.
Eberle scored his 18th goal of the season on an empty net with 1:12 remaining in the game.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Gabriela Jaquez scored 19 points and No. 3 UCLA beat Northwestern 80-46 on Sunday for its 13th straight victory.
Lauren Betts added 16 points while Kiki Rice had 15 and 10 rebounds for the Bruins (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten), who never trailed and stayed tied with 10th-ranked Iowa for the conference lead.
The Bruins led 21-14 after the first period and finished the first half on a 15-2 run to go to intermission up 46-22. The Wildcats managed just three field goals in the second period and none in the final 4:57 of the half.
The Wildcats tried to double-team the 6-foot-7 Betts early but she usually found an open teammate and finished the game with six assists. UCLA also outrebounded its hosts 44-25.
The Bruins are beating their conference foes by an average 27.8 points per game.
Grace Sullivan scored 21 points for Northwestern (8-12, 2-7), which has lost two straight and 12 of its last 14.
Up next
UCLA: Visits Illinois on Wednesday.
Northwestern: Travels to No. 24 Nebraska on Wednesday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield scored first-period goals just 12 seconds apart to help the Minnesota Frost beat the New York Sirens 6-2 on Sunday.
Katy Knoll added two goals, which included an empty-netter, for Minnesota (6-2-3-3). Grace Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek each scored a goal and Abby Hustler had two assists. Maddie Rooney had 25 saves.
Kristyna Kaltounkova scored her ninth goal of the season for New York (7-0-2-6) and Anna Bargman scored her second goal this season with six minutes to play.
Heise cut in front of the net, took a pass from Mae Batherson, and flicked a back-hand shot into the net to open the scoring 6:12 into the game. Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, a Frost turnover near the center line led to a jailbreak goal by Coyne Schofield that made it 2-0.
Coyne Schofield leads the PWHL in goals (10) and points (16).
Kaltounkova scored with 1:32 left in the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Kayle Osborne stopped 21 shots for the Sirens.
Fans at the Grand Casino Arena chanted “ICE out now!” and there was a moment of silence for Alex Pretti — the second Minneapolis resident killed by federal officers this month — prior to the start of the game.
Robbie Ray was an All-Star in 2025. At least, up until the All-Star break.
His 2.65 ERA led the club into the July recess. At that point in the season, he ranked in the top-10 among qualified pitchers across the MLB in innings pitched, batting average of balls-in-play, runners stranded (LOB%), and opponents’ average. In tandem with Logan Webb, the pair were co-aces leading one of the better rotations in the Majors. They were an odd-but-effective couple: Ray’s blunt instrument attacks at the letters one day; Webb’s heavier rocks-at-the-knees the next.
The invitation to the Midsummer Classic was well-deserved. His last two seasons for Seattle and San Francisco were cut short by Tommy John surgery then long delayed by recovery. But at the start of the 2025 season, Ray was finally healthy and pitched with purpose from the jump. The relief he felt being back on the mound with regularity was clear, his loud grunts of gratitude echoed throughout the stadiums as he won his first three outings of the year. From the end of April to the beginning of June, the southpaw strung together eight consecutive quality starts. His strong performance had Fangraphs’ blogger Ben Clemens singing his praises, marveling at Ray’s ability to do so much with so little. Just a mid-to-low 90s four-seamer, three subpar secondary pitches, and a whole lot of backspin was ostensibly all he needed to not only be effective, but reclaim his Cy Young form from 2021. Out of nowhere, he flirted with a “Maddux” in Arizona, throwing his second career complete game. He then tangoed with future World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto right before the break, logging his 13th quality start in 20 games.
But this is a 2025 San Francisco Giants player review after all, so we know the good times just don’t last — and Ray might’ve been the first body to fall off the back of the wagon.
His first start after the All Star break came in Toronto in which he surrendered 5 earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. It was his worst outing of the year up to that point — but it’d have more competition as he and the Giants slogged through the dog days of summer. Having allowed just 4 earned runs in a start just once over his first 20 games, Ray gave up at least 4 or more runs in 6 over his final 12, including a horrific, knuckle-dragging stumble in which opposing teams plated 22 runs in 22.2 innings against him over his last 5 games. His ERA over the “shorter half” nearly doubled. His K/9 rate fell and his BB/9 rate increased. Balls in play started finding holes and open grass. Hitters became more persistent. Innings drew on longer and became harder to close out. Ray’s left-on-base percentage dropped nearly 20 points. Opponent’s OPS rose from .608 to .810.
As disappointing and as sharp as the decline was, it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise. Fatigue is always a factor for any pitcher in the latter half of the season. Not to mention the fact that Ray, who turned 34 in October, has been wringing his arm out like laundry for over a decade’s worth of seasons now. The fabric is worn, the color faded, and then there’s the long wrinkle of his Tommy John surgery that stretches back to 2023. His last full season with a proper pitching load was with Seattle way back when in 2022 (189 IP/ 32 GS). The 119 innings Ray logged over his first 20 starts was nearly four times his innings total from 2024.
While the final 3.65 ERA in 2025 is surely a disappointment considering what Ray initially seemed to promise, it’s still lower than his career mark, and the drop off shouldn’t be too surprising. Looking back over his career, Ray has never been a steady hand. His three-outcomes style opens him up to wild swings in results, making sustained dominance over a whole season difficult. The real accomplishment of 2025 for Ray is that he stayed healthy. For better or for worse, he notched 32 starts for the fifth time in his career. His 182.1 innings were just 11 shy of his career high. He would’ve been considered the workhorse in the Dodger rotation, throwing more than Yoshinobu, more than double Tyler Glasnow’s regular season innings, nearly three-times Blake Snell’s, and nearly four-times Ohtani’s.
Small points of pride — but points all the same.
Ray has one more year on his Giants contract, and considering how the offseason has played out in terms of pitching acquisitions, the team is counting on him to reclaim his partnership with Webb at the top of the rotation. They need him to stay healthy again…and to be better through August and September.
Can he do that? Sureyeerrrrmaaheeyybeeee…
All I know is that Ray is a pitcher who can be both fun and infuriating to watch — and often these emotions are felt in the same game, or in the same inning. A lot of his success in the league comes from getting out of his own way. Walks and home runs and home runs after walks have been his downfall for a long while now. When he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2021 with a league leading 157 ERA+, his HR/9 rate was 1.5, the same rate as it was the following year in 2022 when he posted a 100 ERA+. Players will always hit the ball hard and in the air against Ray, the difference is if there are runners on base when that happens. While he’s certainly used to, and accepted, that walks are a part of his game, they still very much matter. His 4.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2021 dropped to 3.42 in 2022, while his walk rate increased from 2.4 to 3.0. That small increase has a ripple effect. All those extra pitches thrown and extended innings add up over 180 innings and can whittle you down to average.
A pitcher like Webb has a myriad of ways to get a batter out in terms of pitch type and location. He’s not afraid of contact because it’s often shot into the ground. Ray is playing a much more dangerous game. He needs to miss bats. He needs the strikeout, and to get a lot of strikeouts, count leverage, chase, and whiff are key ingredients. Last season, Ray’s 27 Whiff-%, while still above leave average, was his lowest (in a full season) since 2016. His K/9 rate dropped below 10 for the first time since 2015. More plate appearances ended when the batter was ahead in the count against Ray than behind (265 to 253). Count leverage can mean the difference between facing an All-Star in the box or Matt Cain. An .888 OPS and a .455 OPS is pretty stark, and for Ray last season, it ended up being a coin flip at times what kind of hitter he faced. Best not to leave that kind of thing up to chance.
First pitch strikes are key, as are finding a way to wiggle yourself back into a count you fell behind in. Webb’s strikeout-to-walk ratio after he fell behind 1-0 to a hitter was still 2-to-1 last season. For Ray, it was a smidge better than one-to-one.
I think the key for Ray in 2026 is to reassert his fastball. This is somewhat obvious. As mentioned earlier, it’s no secret, with its backspin and rise, that it’s his best pitch — but just because its his best pitch doesn’t mean it needs to be saved for two-strike situations. In his most successful years, the four-seamer was a dynamic weapon in all counts. Ray threw a first-pitch fastball nearly 65% of the time in 2021, and last year that number dropped down to 49%. In 2017 (his first All-Star year), he threw his four-seamer 53% of the time when he was ahead in the count. Last year, that usage again fell to 49%. When he was behind to a batter in 2017, he threw his signature pitch 66% of the time; 65% in 2021 — but just 59% in 2025.
These are not monumental shifts in approach, but the drops seem to hint at a hesitancy or a lack of conviction around the pitch. Why? I don’t know, but Ray clearly needs to do better at establishing the fastball early on against hitters. If he doesn’t there’s a negative trickle down effect on the rest of his mix and his peripheral weapons become less dynamic. While his revamped change-up (with its Tarik Skubal inspired grip) got the most buzz last season, it’s Ray’s non-sliding slider that really feeds off of the four-seamer. The offering is an awkward duck for sure, with little drop or break, and easily turn into an ugly one if left up over the middle of the plate against righties, but when mixed in well, it’s historically flummoxed hitters with whiff rates nearing 50% for years.
As you can see, in 2025, the slider’s whiff-% came in at 29% — Ray’s lowest mark ever in a full season of work.
Ray’s fastball-slider pairing accounted for 90% (59% FF – 31% CH) of the offerings he threw en route to Cy Young hardware. Not all solutions lie in the past, and I appreciate the desire to evolve, especially as he strides into his mid-30s, but perhaps its best not to overthink certain things. Ray needs to quit playing around with toy pitches like that dang knuckle-curve and just lean on the attack.
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 29 points and 11 assists and the Detroit Pistons routed the Sacramento Kings 139-116 on Sunday for their fifth victory in six games.
The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons rebounded from a home loss to Houston on Friday night to improve to 33-11. Tied at 35 after a quarter, Detroit broke it open in the second by outscoring the Kings 43-30.
Cunningham was 13 of 22 from the field, hitting 3 of 5 3-pointers. Pistons center Jalen Duren added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and Tobias Harris had 16.
Malik Monk led Sacramento with 19 points, and DeMar DeRozan had 16. The Kings have lost five straight to drop to 12-35.
Domantas Sabonis played his fifth game for Sacramento after after missing two months because of a knee injury. He had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and eight assists and seven rebounds in 24:44.
DENVER (AP) — The heavy snow and swirling wind moved into the Mile High City for the second half of the AFC championship game Sunday as Denver played New England.
The snow gathered on the field and made the yard lines hard to see. Patriots kicker Andres Borregales sent his 46-yard field goal into the swirling wind wide right late in the third quarter. The Patriots held a 10-7 lead over the Broncos heading into the fourth quarter.
The day started out sunny and 26 degrees (minus-3 Celsius) with a wind chill of 17 (minus-8). A light snow began to fall just as halftime ended and steadily picked up. Players huddled by the heaters on the sideline.
Jarrett Stidham, filling in for an injured Bo Nix, and Drake Maye, an NFL MVP candidate, both struggled in the weather. Stidham threw a TD pass but also fumbled deep in Denver territory that set up New England's TD.
Maye was more effective with his feet than his arm. He had 64 yards and a TD heading into the final quarter.
Juventus beat Napoli to leave title challenge in tatters
Barcelona capitalised on two defensive mistakes by bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo to seal a 3-0 victory at a rain-drenched Camp Nou, regaining top spot in La Liga. Goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha and, acrobatically, Lamine Yamal powered the Catalan club to 52 points, one ahead of Real Madrid, while Atlético Madrid trail in third on 44.
Barça struggled to break the deadlock against a spirited Oviedo until they finally found the breakthrough in the 52nd minute, with Olmo striking home following a defensive lapse. Five minutes later, Oviedo’s struggles deepened, with the defender David Costas under-hitting a back-pass, which Raphinha intercepted before calmly chipping the onrushing AarónEscandell in Oviedo’s goal to double Barcelona’s lead. Lamine Yamal wrapped up Barça’s win by scoring in the 73rd minute with a brilliant acrobatic volley from an Olmo cross.
SEATTLE (AP) — Franck Kepnang and Hannes Steinbach had double-doubles and Washington led nearly wire-to-wire in a 72-57 victory over Oregon Sunday in the 318th meeting between the programs.
The Huskies' win snapped a four-game losing streak against their bitter rival. Washington leads 193-125 in the series that is the second-most played in Division I.
Kepnang had 10 points and 14 rebounds, Steinbach had 10 and 13. Quimari Peterson, Zoom Diallo and Jacob Ognacevic scored 12 points each.
Sean Stewart scored 15 points and Kwame Evans Jr. added 11 points for Oregon.
The Ducks made only one of their first 10 shots while the Huskies built a 14-2 lead in the first seven minutes. Twice Oregon got within seven points, the second time at 22-15 with about 5 1/2 minutes left. The Huskies then went on a 10-0 run in which Peterson scored five points and Washington finished the half with a 34-19 lead.
Oregon made only seven shots in the first 14 minutes of the second half but the Ducks' 13-of-15 shooting at the free-throw line kept the Huskies from extending their lead. Washington led 61-44 near the five-minute mark. A few minutes later, Kepnang threw down a dunk and Peterson nailed a 3-pointer for a 70-53 lead heading to the final two minutes.
Oregon (8-12, 1-8 Big Ten) made 20 of 23 free throws in the second half, 24 of 28 for the game.
Washington (11-9, 3-6) made 8 of 13 free throws and 10 of 21 3-pointers.
Up next
Oregon: The Ducks host UCLA on Wednesday.
Washington: The Huskies play Thursday at No. 11 Illinois.
We knew coming into the Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming back-to-back that Joel Embiid would not be playing both games. We suspected the same for Paul George. The only question was whether they would sit out Monday or Tuesday, and we now know the answer, with the veteran stars announced as out for Monday in Charlotte.
The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow’s game @ Charlotte:
Joel Embiid — left knee injury management — OUT
Paul George — left knee injury management — OUT
This is a front end of a back-to-back; Sixers host Milwaukee on Tuesday.
The decision makes sense from a couple perspectives. The Hornets game is on the road versus Tuesday against Milwaukee at home. Also, the game time for Monday was pushed up to 3:00pm due to the weather situation. I imagine with guys having a coordinated maintenance schedule for their past injuries, you would want to stick to a similar routine throughout the day as much as possible. Let both veterans have a normal day in their home city and arena before taking the court at a customary hour.
The Sixers will certainly miss both guys against the Hornets. After seemingly struggling some to ramp up his conditioning and regain a rhythm earlier in the season, Embiid is currently in the midst of his best stretch of the season, having scored at least 30 points in four straight appearances. He is coming off his first triple-double of the season against Houston, followed by a 38-point, 11-rebound, five-assist effort against the Knicks. Joel has appeared in 25 of the Sixers’ 44 games thus far, while Paul George has also taken the court 25 times.
Currently 24-20 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers will look to defeat the 18-28 Hornets down two starters. We’ll find out how they fare tomorrow afternoon.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga will be sidelined again with a bone bruise and a hyperextended left knee, the team announced on Sunday before playing at Minnesota.
The game against the Timberwolves was rescheduled from the day before following the fatal shooting in Minneapolis of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers, to prioritize community safety.
The Warriors said a re-evaluation date on Kuminga’s condition would be determined “in the coming days.” The injury forced the disgruntled fifth-year player out of Golden State's most recent game on Thursday at Dallas. He had an MRI on Friday.
Kuminga had just returned to the rotation because of Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury. He had not played in a month, with the increasing chance he'll be traded before the deadline on Feb. 5.
Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was listed as questionable to play Sunday because of right knee soreness that developed Saturday, was cleared for action after going through pregame warmups. Al Horford (left toe injury management) and De’Anthony Melton (left knee injury management) were suited up on Sunday, with the plan to rest them both in the rematch at Minnesota on Monday night with the schedule change forcing them into back-to-back games.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton were not playing on Sunday. They will not play on Monday.
Per the Phoenix Suns’ communications department, Devin Booker will be re-evaluated in one week after suffering a right ankle sprain on Friday in Atlanta.
Devin Booker will be re-evaluated in one week after sustaining a right ankle sprain in Atlanta
That one-week re-evaluation doesn’t guarantee a return at that date, as you all know. But if he is cleared to begin ramping it up a week from now, that bodes well for an early February return with him missing 8 games or less in total, hopefully.
In related news, Booker has been spotted at Mullet Arena to watch his young teammates Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming as they are on assignment.
Stephen PridGeon-Garner notes that he is in shoes, not a boot or crutches. A positive development that pairs nicely with the update we received in our inbox.
Guess who's also at Mullett Arena, watching the Valley Suns game right now… Devin Booker.
"But it's actually really good to see him in his shoes, & not a boot or anything. So I'm really optimistic about that one week re-evaluation." ~Jeff Ayers on the Valley Suns broadcast. https://t.co/7e2vjDCBQFpic.twitter.com/Dmki8s9RYk
The Suns begin a 5-game homestand tonight against Miami that will run through next Sunday. Nine of their next ten games will be played at home in Phoenix.
The most interesting moment of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche didn't come on the ice.
During the third period of Sunday's game, TSN's broadcast panned up to the press box, where the Maple Leafs' scratches and injured players were sitting. Pictured were Philippe Myers, Calle Jarnkrok, Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, and William Nylander.
Just before the broadcast cut away from the players' box, Nylander spotted the camera and, with a smile, stuck up the middle finger.
Hours after the game concluded, Nylander issued an apology, via his Instagram.
“Only love for Leafs Nation. Sorry about my moment of frustration today,” he wrote on his Instagram story. “Didn’t mean to upset anyone. Looking forward to being back on the ice and not in the stands. Love Willy.”
The 29-year-old is currently dealing with a groin injury, which he re-aggravated in Toronto's 6-5 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 15. Nylander scored a goal and an assist in the game but only played 2:17.
He's missed the last five games due to the ailment.
Nylander originally picked up the groin injury against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 27. It's unknown how the forward suffered the injury, which eventually forced him to miss six straight games before returning against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 10.
The forward skated on Saturday, the first time he's been on the ice since re-aggravating the injury against the Golden Knights. Nylander and Joshua skated for 20 minutes before leaving the ice.
"We'll see where he progresses, and how he felt," said head coach Craig Berube on Saturday. "Hopefully, he can keep getting on the ice here and be ready to go. I can't give you a timeline on [his return] yet."
Despite missing 11 games from Dec. 27 to now, Nylander still leads the Maple Leafs with 17 goals and 48 points in 37 games. John Tavares is second among Toronto players with 19 goals and 44 points in 52 games.
Toronto's loss to Colorado was its fourth straight home defeat. The Maple Leafs have picked up just one point during that stretch, in an overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs currently sit five points away from the second wild-card spot, held by the Boston Bruins. Toronto plays the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, and it's now arguably one of the biggest games of their season.
"We got to fix the execution part for me," said Berube after Sunday's loss to the Avalanche. "And then the battle level. When you get down in a game, we got to come together as a team and we got to fight through that, because it's going to happen. We all know that.
"But I think losing at home here, it's worn on our team a little bit. But that's pro sports and we got to all pull together here and get ready for Tuesday. We need a win."
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark was in uniform as the backup goalie for the Ottawa Senators’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
Mads Sogaard will start in net for Ottawa.
Ullmark has not played since Dec. 27 after taking a personal leave of absence from the team. The 32-year-old netminder missed 14 games. He's 14-8-5 with a 2.95 goals-against average this season.
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but a former Philadelphia Flyers goalie is dominating for one of the NHL's hottest teams, and it may not be who you expect.
The Flyers were, at one point, one of those teams, though Dan Vladar has since gotten injured and slowed down overall.
They now find themselves five points back of the second wildcard spot and two points off third in the Metropolitan Division; either result would be satisfactory.
But, over the last few weeks, the once-lowly Buffalo Sabres exploded into third in the Atlantic Division from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, buoyed by a 10-game win streak that carried them into the New Year.
Leading the charge has been ex-Flyers goalie Alex Lyon, who signed with Buffalo this past offseason.
Lyon, 33, has racked up an impressive 12-6-3 record for the Sabres this season to the tune of a 2.70 GAA and .911 save percentage, complemented by two shutouts.
For the sake of comparison, Lyon won a career-high 21 games with Detroit in 2023-24 and now has a clear opportunity to set a new personal best, so long as he can fend off Sabres teammates Colten Ellis and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for ice time.
Lyon shouldn't have too much of an issue doing that if he keeps up the way he's been playing, though.
Dating back to Dec. 9, the 6-foot-1 netminder has won nine straight appearances, and eight straight starts, including a 24-save effort in a 5-3 win against the Flyers on Dec. 18.
Lyon did do his old Flyers club a favor by posting a 26-save shutout of the New York Islanders on Saturday in just his second game of January, but, with how inconsistent Sam Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov have been behind Vladar, we can be sure the Flyers would just prefer to have Lyon on their roster helping them directly instead of indirectly.
Anyhow, the Sabres have quickly become the story of the NHL this season after transforming a dismal start into a chance to become a rousing success should they reach the postseason.
Lyon, even through injury and a three-goalie rotation, has been at the forefront of that transformation.
1. Did Chris Drury have to announce that he's looking to peddle Breadman Panarin? Absolutely not!
2. Hockey author and Seattle Kraken reporter Glenn Dreyfuss agrees that Drury is in error. "Exposing an asset you wish to trade goes against sports dealmaking," says Dreyfuss.
3. When The Maven asked Dreyfuss to amplify, he graciously added: "Never tell the world you want to make a trade; that diminishes the value of the player."
4. The fact that the Rangers had to reach out for goaltending help and haul in Spencer Martin, a KHL alumnus, tells you how bare the Blueshirts AHL cupboard is in Hartford.
5. Vic Morren, co-host with Neil Smith on the excellent podcast "NHL Wraparound," asks an interesting question about Alexis Lafrenière: "Do you see a buyout possibility here? This (Lafrenière) may be one of the most useless players in the NHL."
6. Hey, what if The Breadman decides he loves living in The Big Apple so much he wants to stay here in New York. "The Rangers got to get Panarin to change his mind," says Jess Rubenstein. "Right now he's not interested in waiving his no-movement clause."
7. Jess adds: "I'm guessing that Panarin is looking to extract either a new contract BEFORE any trade or to punish Drury for what he did to the core of the team."
8. You don't need analytics to figure these equations: With Sid Crosby, Geno Malkin and Kris Letang, Pitt coach Mike Sulllivan missed the playoffs for three straight years. With an aging Sid, Geno and Kris, and rookie coach Dan Muse – the Penguins are hell bent for a playoff berth.
9. I don't have to tell what a wonderful job Sully has done with The Beloved Blueshirts. The Pitt-Rangers comparison says it all!
10. Not that this falls into the "Surprise" category, but guess how The Athletic NHL staff graded the Rangers at the halfway mark of the season?
