Morgan Rogers was at the double as Villa continued their impressive streak of victories
2 min United win a throw-in on the right, and then a free kick, which comes to nothing.
We have a minor celebrity in the tunnel! Kelly Osbourne, daughter of the late lamented Ozzy, is there and she’s wearing a Villa shirt. Is she playing? No, her son Sid is a mascot today. He’s not holding hands with John McGinn in the traditional fashion – he’s in his arms.
Continue reading...CHICAGO — The rebuilding Chicago White Sox have added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger.
Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.
Murakami gets a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $16 million next year and $17 million in 2027.
His 2027 salary can escalate based on awards earned in 2026: $1 million winning an MVP award, $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting, $250,000 for fourth through 10th and $250,000 for Rookie of the Year.
He can’t be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent and will be a free agent at the end of the contract. He also gets a team-provided interpreter and flight reimbursement between Japan and the U.S.
The White Sox owe a posting fee of $6,575,000 to Yakult, Murakami’s Central League team. The Swallows also would receive a supplemental fee of 15% of any triggered escalators.
Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. The corner infielder was limited to 56 games this season because of an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.
Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.
He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.
After playing primarily at first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since at third.
At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a game-ending double off Giovanny Gallegos that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.
Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee is 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million. There is a supplemental fee of 15% of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.
While Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson didn't get off to the kind of start that he wanted in his first several starts since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks during the offseason, he's been making up for it in a big way.
He made 24 saves in Detroit's win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon, helping the Red Wings pick up their seventh win in their last 10 games.
For Gibson, it was his seventh straight victory, tying his previous career-best as a member of the Ducks.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
And that's not all.
It’s now the longest winning streak by a Red Wings goaltender since 2012. The last goalie to win seven consecutive games for Detroit isn’t a name that immediately comes to mind for most Red Wings fans: Joey MacDonald.
MacDonald was in his second tenure with the Red Wings, with whom he originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He also spent time with the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens.
MacDonald then finished his professional career with the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the German DEL.
After posting two shutouts in three games, Gibson was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week — a performance that led head coach Todd McLellan to say he looks much more like his old self, the one McLellan routinely coached against while with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings.
“Just looks like Gibby,” McLellan said. "He’s confident. The guys feel really good about playing around him. There’s less pucks coming off him, more whistles, very efficient.”
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Chip Lindsey, hired by Sherrone Moore, spent just one year at Michigan football as offensive coordinator. He will join Missouri as its OC in 2026.
A former Buffalo Sabres goaltender is taking his talents overseas.
Lowen Frankfurt of the DEL in Germany has announced that they have signed former Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Tokarski had been on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Detroit Red Wings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, before signing with Lowen Frankfurt. In two games with the Griffins during his PTO, he recorded a 1-0-0 record, a .929 save percentage, and a 1.92 goals-against average. Now, he will be looking to make an impact with Lowen Frankfurt after signing with the German club.
Tokarski appeared in 42 games over two seasons with the Sabres from 2020-21 to 2021-22, where he recorded a 12-20-7 record, a .901 save percentage, a 3.35 goals-against average, and one shutout. He also had an 11-9-3 record, a .890 save percentage, and a 3.32 goals-against average in 24 games during the 2023-24 season with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
In 86 career NHL games over 10 seasons split between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Carolina Hurricanes, Tokarski posted a 27-36-12 record, a .902 save percentage, and a 3.37 goals-against average.
Can basketball be a force that helps bring a divided nation, a divided world together?
That's the dream of World Basketball Day. A day — designated by the United Nations to be commemorated every Dec. 21 — where we celebrate the power of basketball to unite communities and connect people around the world.
"There's increasingly few spaces left where we humanize each other, where we actually spend time face-to-face, eye contact, wordlessly negotiating and sharing and creating space with and between each other — doing the kinds of intimate, continuous, fluid communication that the space of a basketball court fosters," said David Hollander, an NYU professor who helped create World Basketball Day. "The game itself is an empathy lab. And so, yes, I believe it is one of the greatest exercises that people can engage in to begin to knit back together the social fabric."
It's a dream shared by the NBA and people who love basketball around the globe — and it's a chance to give back to the community through the game.
"World Basketball Day is a chance to celebrate the game and impact it has on people everywhere," the Celtics' Jayson Tatum said. "Basketball has had such a positive influence on my life, and I hope I can pass along the joy and skills I've learned, both on- and-off the court, to the next generation."
“Be nice to yourself. You're not going to shoot the ball great every night, but what you can control is your attitude and effort. And that’s what really matters.”
— Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA (@jrnba) December 21, 2025
- Klay Thompson with advice for the next generation of hoopers #WorldBasketballDaypic.twitter.com/Dw7J4dRMJJ
The NBA is doing this in part by announcing the extension of its longstanding relationship with the YMCA, collaborating on year-long youth basketball and community-focused programming that will reach 6 million youth in the next year. World Basketball Day also means events to connect with youth around the nation and around the globe.
"World Basketball Day takes on a special meaning this year as we commemorate the 175th anniversary of the YMCA, where the sport was first invented 134 years ago," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "We are thrilled to join our many friends in the basketball community to celebrate the game's impact and influence around the world."
World Basketball Day is the brainchild of Hollander, an NYU professor with the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport. Holland teaches a course at NYU called "How Basketball Can Save the World."
"It's a very popular elective that treats basketball like a philosophy," Hollander said. "I created principles that I believe basketball stands for — the way you play basketball can be understood as a really good guide for how we can behave with each other. The way the game was intended to be structured can tell us a lot about how we ought to structure a society, and it's a game intrinsically of hope."
He eventually turned that course into a book, in which he drafted a UN resolution for World Basketball Day. That idea took off in a way he did not fully expect.
"Basketball was always intended to be stateless, borderless, global right from the very start," Hollander said. "And as the world tries to solve the problems that only a whole world can solve, I suggested that we ought to start somewhere where the whole world is happy and the whole world comes together, and the whole world agrees. And, I said, that place is basketball, and it should have a day.
"That's how it began."
World Basketball Day was established in 2023 by the United Nations. Not coincidentally, World Basketball Day is observed each year on Dec. 21, the date in 1891 that Dr. James Naismith hung up the peach baskets and first introduced the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Mass.
Part of what World Basketball Day has become is a focus on the future and connecting people. For example, last week marked the third annual United Nations diplomats basketball game, in which more than 60 diplomats from 30 countries played pickup at the local YMCA.
"In other words, these peacemakers are actually doing the thing that I hope basketball on a grand scale achieves," Hollander said.
It's not just the NBA and the United States celebrating this, it is FIBA — the international governing body of basketball — and its coaching clinics and camps in Africa on this day. It's local hoopers and content creators from Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines featuring World Basketball Day content across the NBA's localized channels in those countries.
“It's so cool to be from a different place and come to America and play in the best league in the world.”
— Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA (@jrnba) December 21, 2025
- Mo Wagner on what it means to represent Germany in the NBA. #WorldBasketballDaypic.twitter.com/pZafVPXYcL
"Basketball has always been global," Hollander said. "Dr James Naismith sent emissaries to teach basketball in 1895, as soon as he could right after he invented the game, to Europe to Australia, to China to South America. So it is no surprise to me that coming from all corners of the world are some of the most eloquent speakers of the language of basketball."
That language of basketball and how it can be a unifying force deserves to be celebrated. And, much like Christmas, we could use more of that force and spirit all year-round.
The victory was Texas Tech’s first over a top-five foe since defeating No. 1 Baylor 65-62 in January 2022.
Coming into Saturday night, it had been about a year and 36 games since Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby felt the thrill of putting a puck into the net.
The native of Stockholm, Sweden finally lit the lamp for only the second time in his NHL career in the Predators' 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bridgestone Arena Saturday.
With the Leafs in front 2-1 late in the second period, Filip Forsberg picked off a pass and fed the puck to Ryan O’Reilly. Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll got out of position, and ‘The Factor’ found a wide-open Wilsby in the slot.
The 6-foot-1, 192-pound left-shot defenseman didn’t miss, tying the game with 33 seconds left in the frame. The goal came on a 4-on-4 following unsportsmanlike conduct minors to the Preds’ Nicolas Hague and the Leafs’ Simon Benoit.
"I just saw the lane opening up and I just tried to shoot as hard as I can and it went in," Wilsby said after the game. "There was a lot of, 'oh my God, wow' on the bench. It was a really cool goal."
Wilsby’s goal ended up being a critical turning point in the game. The Preds were outplaying Toronto, outshooting them 15-6 in the period and 24-14 through the first 40 minutes. A goal the other way might have given the Leafs new life and changed the complexion of the game.
At the 9:28 mark of the third period, Luke Evangelista put Nashville ahead on a highlight-reel between-the-legs backhander after getting behind a Toronto defender.
The goal sent a buzz through Bridgestone Arena and the hockey world.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. 😱
— NHL (@NHL) December 21, 2025
LUKE EVANGELISTA, TAKE A BOW
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/cepyeREd0r
The Leafs pulled Woll for the extra attacker late in the third, and Steven Stamkos tallied a big insurance empty-netter for a 4-2 Preds lead with 1:34 remaining in regulation.
Jake McCabe narrowed the gap to 4-3 with 49 seconds left, but Cole Smith sealed the 5-3 triumph with an empty-netter of his own.
"It was a great crowd and we had a lot of good energy throughout the game and we're happy with our effort," Wilsby said.
Wilsby’s first NHL goal also came in the month of December. In a 2-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 17, 2024, he jumped on a loose puck at the point, deked a Rangers defender and sniped in a shot from the slot for a 2-0 lead, which held up for the final score.
That goal was a form of redemption for Wilsby, who had one waved off the previous week in Dallas against the Stars after an offside review. He finally got one that counted the next week against the Rangers, and his second career goal on Saturday gave the Preds a big lift.
Ironically, the Rangers come to Bridgestone Arena Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. Puck drop is set for 6 Pm CT.
Warriors see their warts, but still believe in their lofty NBA potential originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Two months into a season that has delivered more losses than wins, the Warriors still believe that between Monday night and April 12 they will secure an automatic berth in the Western Conference playoffs.
When the Orlando Magic come to Chase Center on Monday, the Warriors will be sitting in eighth place, 4.5 games away from the guaranteed playoff berth that comes with finishing sixth and six games away from the home-court advantage that comes with finishing among the top four.
Are the Warriors dreaming? Maybe.
They realize 53 games remain for them to make the steep climb toward their goal, they scan the standings and, still, they believe.
“I look (at the standings) every day; I looked this morning,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We all know where we are.”
“Our goal coming into the season was to be a top-four seed, and I still think it’s well within our reach. It can be daunting if you look and you go, ‘Man, we’re five, six games back.’ But we know how fast things can flip if we can take care of our business and find some momentum. Because everybody else is going to go through tough stretches too.”
Taking care of business has been difficult and momentum has been elusive. And the Warriors would like to believe their “toughest stretches” are behind them after burying a three-game losing streak Saturday with a win over the Phoenix Suns.
Even in victory, however, they saw there are many miles to go to achieve their quest.
“We watched the last three minutes of the game,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said, referring to a late 14-8 run by Phoenix that nearly erased Golden State’s seven-point lead.
“I wanted the guys to see it,” Kerr said. “There were a couple of just mindless plays where we score and we’re all standing there, instead of having urgency to get back. And the (Suns) race the ball up the floor, we’re trailing the play. There’s no way that can happen. We just have to be sharper and more on edge.”
Golden State is 6-6 against the seven teams above them, beating the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Spurs twice the Suns twice. Yet the Warriors are 0-3 against the 10th-place Trail Blazers and 0-1 against the last-place Kings.
Who are the Warriors?
They are a team still seeking rhythm for an offense that too often collapses under the weight of its turnovers and searching for consistency on defense – with both issues on display over the last four games. They stumbled and fell against Minnesota, at Portland and at Phoenix but stayed upright against the Suns at home.
“We already know what the problem is (or) was,” Jimmy Butler III said, taking scant contentment from beating the Suns. “It’s just on us to go out there and do what we say that we’re going to do to win these games. We’re capable of it. We all know that.”
Butler’s expression of belief suggests the best is yet to come. That they have the capability to move beyond the nights of blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter to teams that, on paper, are inferior. Seven of Golden State’s 15 losses have come against sub.-500 teams.
The road to recovery begins with an offense that takes care of the ball and makes open shots, particularly from deep. The Warriors are shooting 32.6 percent on “open” shots (closest defender between four and six feet away), ranking 19th in the league.
This is a team, folks, that has the greatest deep shooter of all time on the roster. Stephen Curry’s gravitational effect opposing defenses often create open looks for teammates. In a league where the 3-point shooting average is 35.8 percent, the Warriors have seven players that qualify as below average, including stretch-5 Quinten Post, at 33.8 percent and 3-point specialist Buddy Hield at 32 percent.
Unless Golden State’s offense drains open triples at a higher rate and its defense learns lessons administered during video study on Sunday, an automatic berth will be out of reach.
Curry believes but tempers his faith with the evidence already gathered. At 14-15, the Warriors are not close to being among the top six in the West, much less the top four.
“We don’t want to look too far ahead,” he said. “Just focus on Orlando and what we need to do to beat that team. I like that idea of just taking it one game at a time, because we don’t have any other choice with the way we’ve been playing.”
With just one transfer window ahead of the 2026 season, many QBs have already made their transfer intentions known.
The worst part about the College Football Playoff cannot be fixed. Cannot be legislated away by changing the bracket format. Here's why.
The only thing left for JJ Redick to do was joke about it. What else could be said after the Lakers made just six of 38 three-pointers in a 103-88 loss to the Clippers on Saturday?
“I was proud that we improved from three 4-for-33,” the coach deadpanned. “So we got better as the game progressed.”
With four regular starters limited by injuries, the Lakers’ ice cold shooting night doomed them to a season-low in points. Star guard Luka Doncic left the game with 12 points at halftime after a left leg contusion sustained in the first half. Redick noticed the NBA’s leading scorer limping on the court during the second quarter. Starters Austin Reaves (calf), Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Rui Hachimura (groin) were all sidelined for the game, as well as key reserve Gabe Vincent (back).
It left just LeBron James, who had 36 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Lakers (19-8) fell behind by 22 but cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter before fading again.
“We just didn’t make shots,” said James, who was three for seven from three-point range and made half of the team’s threes. “It happens over the course of a season. We had some great looks. We just didn’t make shots. But we still gave ourselves a chance to be in the game with how well we defended, our competitive spirit, our competitive nature.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
The Lakers have been assessed five technical fouls in the last two games because of conduct with officials as frustration over inconsistent calls is starting to boil over. After Doncic, Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart were all given technical fouls in the third quarter of Thursday’s win over Utah, Doncic and Smart were T’ed up again Saturday in the first and third quarters, respectively.
“I think if any coach, any player, what we ask for is consistency,” Redick said. “And that's not to single any official out or any crew out, it's not about that. We need to know what it is night to night.”
Smart also drew a technical foul against Utah after attempting to talk to an official at halftime. When Smart walked away frustrated, he raised his middle finger toward the official, a gesture that got him fined $35,000 Saturday, the NBA announced.
“Sometimes you got to take the hit to get your point across,” Smart said Saturday.
Read more:Lakers lose Luka Doncic to injury, then fall to Clippers despite LeBron James' 36 points
Redick expressed additional frustration with the lack of transparency in the replay system and murky communication with officials. He said he has not received any feedback when he requests it and the distinction between plays that can and can’t be challenged appears to change every night.
The lack of communication has been frustrating for players as well, Smart said, who met with referees before the Utah game as a team captain, but still had his questions dismissed.
“The captain should be able to come talk to them,” Smart said. “They still don't want to hear it. So control what you can control. They don't want to talk, you know, you try and you move on. But it definitely is frustrating when you pour your heart out to this game and the feedback is literally waving you off, telling you to get out your face, and then giving you a tech because you're asking a simple question.”
The Lakers had their worst shooting night of the season by far, making just 34 of 88 shots (38.6%). The team that was second in the NBA in shooting percentage hadn’t shot worse than 40.3% from the field in a game this season. Even their shaky three-point shooting that was 23rd in the league (34.5%) found a new low: the 15.8% (six for 38) shooting from three-point range is the worst for the team since Jan. 3, 2024 when the Lakers made four of 30 threes in a 110-96 loss to Miami.
Smart, who had made 14 of 28 threes in his last three games, missed on all of his nine long-range shots Saturday and finished with five points on one-of-12 shooting. Jake LaRavia, who was acquired as a free agent in part for his three-point shooting, was 0 for four from beyond the arc. The 24-year-old is shooting a career-low 32.1% from three-point range this season despite his eight-for-15 start in the first five games of the year.
“I know I'm a good shooter, everyone on the staff knows I'm a good shooter, everyone on the team knows I'm a good shooter,” LaRavia said. “At some point, I have to make shots. Obviously, been in a slump pretty much this entire season outside of that first stretch of games where I was making some. But they'll drop."
Once Doncic left the game, the Lakers’ best chance at scoring points became “effort offense,” LaRavia said. Hustling, grabbing offensive rebounds and cherry-picking points in transition was almost enough as the Lakers pieced together a 15-0 run to cut a 22-point Clippers lead to seven with 7:56 remaining in the fourth.
Redick praised the team’s “incredible spirit,” noting that James led the charge in that aspect. In addition to making 15 of 28 shots from the field for his season-high in points, James had two steals and a block. After he drove aggressively to the basket for a layup through contact and finished a three-point play to cut the lead to nine, he was the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball on the next defensive possession when he poked the ball away from Kawhi Leonard.
With the Clippers (7-21) playing most of the game without center Ivica Zubak, who rolled his ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return, James took advantage of the smaller lineup by aggressively getting into the paint.
“He did a terrific job of driving the basketball,” Redick said. “Anytime he had [Brook] Lopez on him, he'd beat him up from the perimeter. Great game from him.”
James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, has passed his unofficial “training camp” phase after he missed the first 14 games of the season because of right sciatica. He has averaged 30 points in the last three games while shooting 50% from the field.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
DENVER — Scott Wedgewood is tied with four other goaltenders for the NHL lead in wins and owns both the league’s lowest goals against average and highest save percentage this season; yet even with those credentials, he remains at risk of being overlooked for the 2026 Winter Olympics roster.
Hockey Canada recently announced that the Olympic roster would be unveiled on New Year’s Eve, and according to a recent report, Scott Wedgewood is not in the running to be one of the three Canadian goalies named to the team. However, his teammate Mackenzie Blackwood remains in the running.
On a recent TSN Insider segment, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that Team Canada has narrowed its goalie pool to four candidates, including Mackenzie Blackwood, Logan Thompson, and former Avalanche netminder Darcy Kuemper.
HOW DID SCOTT WEDGEWOOD MAKE THAT SAVE!? 😱
— NHL (@NHL) November 17, 2025
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/rg5o8eSBny
But any list that doesn't include Wedgewood in some capacity just seems wrong for a variety of reasons.
When it was revealed during the offseason that Blackwood was dealing with a lower-body injury, Colorado Avalanche fans responded with a familiar, collective unease—the kind that carries an unspoken here we go again, signaling fears of yet another arduous season.
Wedgewood arrived in Colorado last year via a trade with the Nashville Predators and proceeded to deliver the finest campaign of his eight-year professional career. He finished 13-4-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a career-high .917 save percentage, numbers that far exceeded expectations for a presumed backup.
Many assumed the performance was an outlier and that Wedgewood would regress toward his career norms—perhaps dipping well below a .900 save percentage—settling back into the role of a capable but unspectacular No. 2. Instead, the 33-year-old has forced a reevaluation.
Scott Wedgewood deserves ALL THE STARS #GoAvsGo
— Sticks Up My Sleeve (@ayebeesees) November 17, 2025
While Blackwood recovered from what was later disclosed as lower-body surgery, Wedgewood shouldered the burden, stabilizing the crease and, at times, carrying the team. From the outset of training camp, there was a perceptible shift in the atmosphere surrounding the Avalanche. Goaltending remained the lingering concern, but Wedgewood’s play has largely erased it, offering reassurance that Colorado’s most pressing question may, in fact, already be answered.
Now 22 games into the season, Wedgewood has compiled a 15–1–4 record, pairing a 2.10 goals against average with a career-high .920 save percentage. Equally noteworthy is the manner in which Jared Bednar and the Avalanche have managed his workload. Wedgewood has made nine fewer starts than New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, yet despite the substantial disparity in usage, the two netminders are level in wins.
Viewed in proper perspective, if Wedgewood were just a typical backup, he would be exactly that—an unremarkable goaltender with average numbers, far from any serious conversation about league-leading wins or elite performance. But the reality is very different: Wedgewood ranks at or near the top in nearly every meaningful category, and yet he still risks being left off the Olympic roster. If that happens, we already know the expected excuse: “There are so many elite goaltenders, but only a few spots.” While technically true, being tied for the league lead in wins—and excelling across other key statistics—should be more than enough to earn a place on Team Canada.
The other excuse might be what we brought up earlier, the anomaly factor. That claim, however, collapses under even modest scrutiny. Wedgewood appeared in 19 games for the Avalanche last season and has already made 22 starts this year, many of them against red-hot opponents and the NHL’s elite. Despite the increased workload and heightened competition, his save percentage has actually improved.
As Michael Traikos, Managing Editor of The Hockey News, recently stated, the Avalanche—the NHL’s top team—boast not only exceptional depth but also arguably the two best goaltenders in the league. Beyond Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood has fully recovered from his injury and notably recorded back-to-back shutouts earlier this season, posting a save percentage identical to Wedgewood’s. Accordingly, it would seem logical for Team Canada to consider selecting both Wedgewood and Blackwood.
The best team in the NHL also happens to have the 2 best goalies in the NHL.
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) November 27, 2025
If you’re the Avs, who have seen Wedgewood and Blackwood combine for 3 straight shutouts, this is a great problem. If you’re Team Canada, it poses a complicated questionhttps://t.co/r08UAt8KtE
The final roster spot might be a contest between Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper, though the probability of that scenario remains slim. Furthermore, the options Canada had at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season haven't exactly been stellar between the pipes this season.
Jordan Binnington, Colorado’s favorite sweetheart, is 7-8-6 with a .873 save percentage. Then there’s Adin Hill, who has missed most of the season due to injury and has only recently returned to the lineup. In five starts, Hill has a record of 1-0-2 with a .888 save percentage—not much better.
Scott Wedgewood clearly deserves a spot on the Olympic roster. It’s obvious why—unless you’re completely blind. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and as much as Wedgewood shouldn’t be snubbed, the reality is that he probably will be.
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Dmitri Voronkov(13), Mason Marchment(5), and Zach Werenski(14) scored the goals for Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins shook off a sloppy start to make 24 saves in a 4-3 loss to Anaheim.
First Period - SOG 10-9 Ducks - CBJ Goal - Dmitri Voronkov-PPG
The first period was going pretty well for the CBJ until Mikael Granlund scored on a 3-on-1 Anaheim breakaway to make it 1-0 just 2:14 into the game. Jacob Trouba scored to make it 2-0 just 46 seconds later. Elvis Merzlikins had given up 5 goals in his last 8 shots, dating back to the last game he started.
Rookie Beckett Sennecke put the Jackets on the power play when he got called for holding the stick. Dmitri Voronkov took a nice pass from Charlie Coyle to put one past Ducks goalie Lukáš Dostál. It was his 6th power play goal of the season.
Kent Johnson gave the Ducks their first power play of the game when he shot a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. The Jackets killed it off fairly easily and is the 47th straight Anaheim penalty they've killed off.
Second Period - SOG 10-10 - CBJ Goal - Mason Marchment
Newly acquired Mason Marchment scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket when he knocked down a Damon Severson shot to get it past Dostál. It was a beautiful deflection, and in the celebration, he lost his gum on the ice. He picked it up and put it back in his mouth - No big deal.
The Blue Jackets went on their second power play when Beckett Sennecke drove through Elvis Merzlikins to get a goalie interference call. Elvis was able to pop back up and continue, but it was a hard shot. The Penalty was killed with ease by Anaheim.
Mason McTavish scored to make the score 3-2 at 13:36 into the second. Dante Fabbro tried to get a puck from behind the net to Brendan Smith, but it was stolen and fed to McTavish, who was standing point blank for the score.
Mason Marchment went to the box for tripping with 3:30 left in the second, giving the Ducks their second power play. Columbus was able to kill it off.
Third Period - SOG 7-7 - CBJ Goal - Zach Werenski
The first 10 minutes of the third period was a bunch of back-and-forth hockey with a few scoring chances each. Both Merzlikins and Dostál had to make a couple big saves each as well.
Zach Werenski continued his hot streak by scoring his 14th goal of the season at 12:44 of the third. Werenski's goal now puts him tied for first among all NHL defensemen in goals, and tied with Cale Makar in points.
Unfortunately, a common mistake reared its ugly head of the Jackets when they simply couldn't clear the puck after several seconds. Pavel Mintyukov put in the game-winner with just over three minutes to play.
Zach Werenski blocked a shot with his foot and collapsed to the ice, having to crawl to the bench in obvious pain. The CBJ ended up taking a penalty on the play because he couldn't get off the ice. They killed the penalty, but it was too late.
A replay of what happened to Werenski.
— The CBJ Center (@CBJcenter) December 21, 2025
Watch at your own discretion. pic.twitter.com/fU7CMPD5oQ
The Jackets would fall to the Ducks 4-3.
Final Stats
Player Stats
Team Stats
Up Next: The Jackets travel to Downtown LA to play the Kings on Monday night.
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NASHVILLE — The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to be in control of their fate while leading 2-1 late in the second period. However, a defensive coverage mistake allowed Adam Wilsby to walk into the Predators' zone uncontested and fire a shot past Joseph Woll, tying the game.
In the third period, Luke Evangelista gave Nashville a lead they would not relinquish with an incredible solo effort around Toronto’s defense—a highlight-reel goal likely to be shown for years to come. The Leafs eventually fell 5-3 in what was a very winnable game, and a disappointing follow-up to one of their worst outings of the season against Washington.
Following a loss to one of the Western Conference’s struggling teams, the defeat only intensifies the debate: are the Leafs’ problems purely mental, or is it a question of fundamental ability?
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube used the term "avoidable" to describe both of those critical Nashville goals.
"It's mental, for sure. We've got to get through it. We've got to get over that. We've got to make better decisions throughout the game." Berube said.
WILSBY'S FIRST OF THE SEASON 🤩 pic.twitter.com/MZgSEGwjK3
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 21, 2025
Toronto's bench boss had previously noted during practice that he didn't mind mistakes if they stemmed from aggressive play. While the Leafs did start aggressively—highlighted by Nicolas Roy scoring in his 400th NHL game on a line with Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann—that energy faded.
“There's definitely a shift we have to make mentally, where you never want to play 'not to lose,'” Roy lamented after the game.
NEVER BACK DOWN NEVER WHAT?!!!! pic.twitter.com/0z09mI3Re5
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 21, 2025
The statistics reflect this regression. While Toronto controlled 68 percent of the expected-goals share in the first period according to NaturalStatTrick.com, that number plummeted to 42 percent in the second and a dismal 22 percent in the third. Overall, the Predators outshot the Leafs 34-22. Despite the offensive slump, the club has largely stuck to a positive public message rather than identifying a specific cause
Not everyone agrees on the root cause, however. While some in the locker room admit to a mental block, the team captain took a different view.
"I think mentally we're fine,” Auston Matthews said. “I thought tonight, as shitty as it is losing, I thought the process was better. I thought we had good energy all night".
Regardless of the diagnosis, the results are stark: the Maple Leafs have fallen to last place in the Atlantic Division. They must now regroup before facing a formidable Dallas Stars team on Sunday.
You often here that the NHL is a results-based business and if it's not the mental side of it, it can only be ability. Are their top stars willing the team to success when they need to? Is Berube's coaching method not the correct one for this group?
Time could be running out, but a win against a top Western Conference opponent like the Dallas Stars could help calm things down for a bit.
As Nick Robertson summarized the locker room sentiment: “We haven't had that much success as of late... we've got to start winning some games”.
