Dec 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) drives to the basket around Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dallas is set to host the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, their final home game before playing eight of their next nine games on the road.
OKC is fresh off a hard-fought OT victory against conference foes Denver, while Dallas is coming off an equally crucial matchup against Memphis, and it’s safe to say both teams were pretty happy with the outcomes of their last games.
This matchup should prove to be a much easier walk for both teams to get where they’d like to go, as Oklahoma has defeated Dallas twice already this season, the last victory coming in the form of a 21-point drubbing back in early December. Though with Dallas owning the Thunder’s first this season (currently the 29th pick as Detroit has the league’s best winning percentage), Thunder losses should also be of interest to Mavs fans with an eye towards the future
Flaggless in Dallas
Even in a season where the goal isn’t to compete for a championship, or even a postseason birth for that matter, when you have a player like Cooper Flagg put together a historic rookie performance, there’s still reason for engaged viewing. It’s unlikely that Flagg, who’s been out of action since the All Star break with a foot injury, will return to the floor quite yet. He’s officially a game-time decision as of this writing.
That’s all well and good, but for fans’ sake, hopefully at least some of the younger core will be back in action after nearly all of them were out for the Memphis game. With no Flagg and Derek Lively out for the season, the only young guys Mavs fans have to watch in hopes of future development are the recently re-signed Ryan Nembhard and perhaps Marvin Bagley, should the Org see fit to keep him around after this season.
A perfect storm
For a team like Oklahoma City, going 6-and-4 over their last 10 games is a bout as close to a “slump” as you’re going to get. Comparing the team’s performance in wins and losses over those games, it’s actually remarkable how little difference there is in how the Thunder perform, suggesting that Thunder losses are more about opponent overperformance than their own underperformance. Field goal attempts, rebounds, free throw attempts are all about equal between wins and losses for Oklahoma City.
About the only notable difference is, in their wins, the Thunder take fewer threes and shoot about 8% better from the floor, and their opponents score about 108 points versus scoring just 115 in games they lose.
So I suppose the blueprint for beating the Thunder is to try and catch them on an off shooting night where they’re settling for more threes and hope your own team gets a little hot. Otherwise, good luck to you.
About the on
Dwight Powell, Mr. Maverick
They’ll never make me hate you, Dwight Powell. From Rondo-trade throw-in, to putting up historically efficient offensive numbers (his 2021-22 season is second all-time for Ortg), to a guy who has survived every roster shakeup since the Nowitzki era. He’s gotten to where he is by never trying to do more than he was capable of, filling a specific role, and being the ultimate team-first kind of guy. Who is more deserving to just go out there and run amok for a while? Powell’s three-point shooting experiment ended after 2018-19 (a big reason his offensive efficiency spiked after that), and the most he’s taken in a season since then is 39. Fewer than one attempt every two games. He’s had five or fewer the past three seasons, on only three so far this year. Let him shoot. He should work to surpass his season’s worth of three-point attempts in a single game. Also, I want to see if Adam Silver considers letting Dwight Powell shoot seven threes in a game worthy of a fine for anti-competitive practices.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game at 7:00 pm on KFAA Channel 29 or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (Spanish).
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 29 saves, Alex Laferriere scored in the second period and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Calgary Flames 2-0 on Saturday night to end a five-game losing streak.
Forsberg had his second shutout of the season and 10th of his NHL career, two nights after coming on in relief of Darcy Kuemper in the second period of an 8-1 home loss to Edmonton.
Laferriere scored with 4:24 left in second, putting his own rebound past goalie Dustin Wolf for his 14th goal of the season. Adrian Kempe added his 22nd into an empty net in the final minute.
Wolf made 35 saves. He spent seven years in the Los Angeles Junior Kings youth program before playing major junior for Everett in the Western Hockey League.
The Kings have three games left on a six-game homestand.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 26: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at State Farm Arena on February 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a lengthy saga, Jonathan Kuminga was finally traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. In his first game with the Hawks a 119-98 win over Trae Young’s Washington Wizards, Kuminga logged 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 24 minutes. Considering how tumultuous his time with the Warriors was, this was great to see — especially because Kuminga is only 23 years old, and the sky is the limit for the young forward. Kuminga started off so promising for Golden State, so it’s great to see that a change of scenery seemed to help his game.
On his podcast, Draymond Green had this to say:
“Incredible, incredible game.
JK was just getting out and running. [When the Hawks are] hitting him in transition, he gets to it. Once he gets downhill and he gets dunks, then the three-ball starts falling…Just a beautiful game and I’m happy to see it.
I actually talked to him the night before on FaceTime. I’m like, “Man, when are you playing?” He’s like, “I’m at it tomorrow, big bro. I’m back tomorrow night.” I’m like, “Let’s get it.” And, you know, the young fella came out with 27 [points]. What a great debut. Happy to see him playing. Happy to see him smiling.”
With a new young core emerging for the Hawks following Trae Young’s departure to the Washington Wizards, there’s a chance that Kuminga may thrive in a starting role, or at least lead the bench mob.
“I just want to see the young fella keep it going,” Green said. “I know he will. Just continue to get better man. Take advantage of the opportunity. New beginnings don’t come around often, so you’ve got to take advantage of them when you get them.”
The Buffalo Sabres are undoubtedly a team to pay attention to between now and the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Sabres looking to cement themselves a spot in the playoffs, they should be looking to add to their roster.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in a different position, as they are among the bottom teams in the NHL and should be sellers. Due to this, let's look at two players who the Sabres should consider pursuing from Chicago.
Ilya Mikheyev, LW/RW
The Sabres would benefit by adding another depth forward to their roster, and Ilya Mikheyev could be an interesting player for them to bring in. The 31-year-old forward could fit well in their bottom six, as he is a speedy winger who contributes offensively. He is also an excellent penalty-killer, so he would help the Sabres in that department.
Mikheyev has appeared in 53 games this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points.
Connor Murphy, D
The Sabres have been connected to Murphy a lot this season, and it is easy to understand why. There is no question that they need another right-shot defenseman, and landing Murphy would give them a very solid one. The veteran blueliner could fit nicely on their bottom pairing and penalty kill if acquired.
In 58 games this season, Murphy has recorded four goals, eight assists, 12 points, and 84 blocks.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Timo Werner assisted on a goal in his MLS debut on Saturday night and the San Jose Earthquakes beat Atlanta United 2-0.
Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda each scored a goal for San Jose.
Judd gave San Jose a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Following an Atlanta turnover in its defensive half, Jamar Ricketts raced to the left corner of the 18-yard box and lobbed a cross to the front post, where Judd skipped a header into the net.
Werner, a 29-year-old forward acquired in late January, made his MLS debut when he subbed on for Judd in the 61st minute and quickly made an impact.
On the counter-attack in the 79th minute, Werner played a cross from the right side to a charging Bouda for a half-volley finish from point-blank range that made it 2-0.
The Earthquakes (2-0-0) had just 45% possession but outshot Atlanta 13-8, 6-1 on target.
Daniel De Sousa Britto — known simply as “Daniel” — had a save and recorded his second consecutive shutout.
Lucas Hoyos had four saves for Atlanta (0-2-0). The 36-year-old Hoyo replaced 41-year-old Brad Guzan, who retired at the end of last season after making 225 appearances over the club’s first nine MLS seasons.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Jamal Shead #23 of the Toronto Raptors plays defense during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 28, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards returned home on Saturday for a contest against the Toronto Raptors. Washington led by three at halftime but succumbed to Toronto’s second-half surge in its 134-125 loss.
Washington made five of its first eight 3-pointers to begin the game and shot 7-13 from deep in the opening quarter. Jamir Watkins, who didn’t play in the Wizards’ 126-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, made his first two triples, as did Jaden Hardy, who bounced back after a 5-for-19 shooting display in his last showing.
Bilal Coulibaly starred in the first half, tallying 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, all of which were team highs at the time. The Raptors trimmed Washington’s 13-point advantage to just three at halftime, with the score 64-61 entering the second half.
Kyshawn George continued his perfect shooting by knocking down a 34-foot three before dunking through contact on the ensuing offensive possession to give him 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting. But George missed his next two shots, and as he cooled off, so did the Wizards.
Will Riley made some nifty passes in the third quarter to pull Washington back, but Toronto’s improved effort gave it a 98-92 lead entering the final frame.
The Wizards rested four of their five starters — George, Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson — for the entire fourth quarter as the Raptors pulled away. Johnson (ankle sprain) and George (knee contusion) were on minutes restrictions, coach Brian Keefe said pregame.
Washington competed for four quarters for the first time in four games, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to the Raptors, 134-125. Riley scored a team-high 19 points on 6-10 FG.
Feb 28, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Signs of life against another Florida team might have been premature. The Rockets were largely outsmarted today by the Heat. You might say Miami nightlife is undefeated, and that playing at 3:30 in the afternoon was never going to work out well for the young Rockets, but there might have been a little more on display today than that. Or a lot less.
What I mean by that is, over the Rockets past 20 games, roughly 1/4 of an NBA season, and 1/3 of the games they’ve played so far, the team has an NBA average number of points or above, about 114 points, exactly five times. One was an overtime game they lost to the 76ers. But let’s count it. That means the Rockets did not reach NBA average scoring in 75% of those games. The other teams against whom they exceeded average, just average, scoring: Indiana, New Orleans, Utah and Sacramento. Those are all terrible teams, two are tanking deliberately and those teams have managed 65 combined wins this season, with none of them above 18.
Looked at another way, the Rockets have managed to break NBA average scoring exactly one time, or in 5% of their games, in the past 20, against a decent NBA opponent. Once.
That’s, frankly, inadequate offense.
You might want to blame this on the players, and to an extent it’s true, I think. You might want to blame it on the style of play, and the utter lack of offensive structure or purpose. I’d apportion that blame 25% Players 75% Coaching and Approach. Your view may differ and you are most welcome to it. There’s no guarantee I’m right.
The most positive thing for the Rockets long term, though, is that I am right. If the players are the heart of the problem, the future of the Rockets as a legitimate contender is in deep trouble. Unless more development occurs. It’s hard to see offensive development at the moment, as many of the young Rockets have flatlined, or declined as offensive players under Ime Udoka. You can blame them for their own decline, that’s certainly one approach. One I disagree with.
Why was 20 year old Alperen Sengun a more efficient player under Stephen Silas of all people? In Silas’ last season Sengun had a 60 True Shooting Percentage. It declined slightly in Udoka’s first season to 59% (rounding up both times). Now it seems stuck at 55% over the past two seasons, and currently falling. Why isn’t a maturing player getting better? Character flaw? Laziness? What changed? It’s a general rule of thumb that players tend to get better until around age 26-28. That isn’t happening. It’s not happening with most of them. Why?
It’s easy enough to blame the players, until you realize that even with one of the all time scoring greats, playing very well, the Rockets, as a team, have not broken average scoring against any but essentially the absolute weakest of NBA teams for 95% of the past 20 games, amounting to 1/3 of their season. Is the whole team at fault, individually, as bad players? Or is it something else? Because that’s simply woeful offensive output. One player playing more hasn’t fixed it. Why? In my view, because the problem is systemic.
On to today’s version of “Lather, Rinse, Repeat”.
The Rockets play two games against Miami every season. You can almost set your clock to them being outsmarted by the Heat in one of those games. Lately, despite a recent Finals appearance, Miami has been good, not great, or even below average. That’s something you might very well blame on their players, or rather the talent level, as they are never poorly coached. But they are awake. Miami’s front office, and their head coach Eric Spoelstra,seem capable of seeing the team’s flaws, and taking steps to fix them.
Miami hired former Memphis lead assistant, and Ja Morant casualty, Noah LaRoche to teach them his motion, largely pick and roll free, offense. This, to me, was Spoelstra’s recognition that his approach simply wasn’t producing enough points. Has it worked? In a word, yes. Miami is averaging above the NBA average of 114 points per game, at 119. Last season, with essentially the same crew, minus norm Powell, they scored 110 on average. It might be just due to Powell, but seeing how many times that offense mismatched the Rockets without a pick, I’m dubious. In my view, due to positive coaching action, their offense is far better. A talent problem still remains if a team’s best player is Bam Adebayo.
I would argue that Miami boasts a lot less talent than the Rockets. Yet, once again, the Rockets got outsmarted and outplayed by the Heat. Sure, the Rockets have injuries, and it’s fair to mention it. But in the 4th quarter the Rockets simply got stonewalled by a zone defense. Again. They had no answer except to charge into 2-4 defenders and put up a terrible shot, over and over and over. This lead to predictably bad results, minus HoF player Kevin Durant, who took, but made, similarly awful shots.
There are ways to beat a zone. Good high school teams have zone buster sets, and attacks. The Rockets appear to lack any such thing. Still if the zone defense is good, and Miami’s is very good, and mobile, then there are certain things that must happen to break it.
One is, get behind it with baseline cuts, and player movement without the ball into the back of the zone, and either shoot, or pass it out when the zone reacts by converging at the rim.
Nope, the Rockets didn’t do that. Nobody moves.
Another is to overload the zone, and either find a screen for a shot in the overload, or whip the ball back to the non overloaded side that could be open.
No. Again, no player movement from the Rockets, they just stand, “spaced out” watching a one on four attack. Why the team stands around like that, as there isn’t a player really capable of a drive and kick attack most of the time (I include Reed, Amen AND Fred VanVleet in this assessment) baffles me.
Another is to set up a distributor in the middle of the paint, and have players cut into or out of the zone. The idea is to force coverage of the player in the paint, and then catch the zone out of position with passes out, or attacks by that player.
Nah. That speaks to purpose. Of recognizing a likely problem, and having a solution ready. Miami’s “go to” change up is always a zone defense of some sort. The waited around in a close game, until the 4th quarter, then went to it and choked the Rockets out. The Rockets managed a losing 22 points in the 4th.
Another is to attack the rim, and then kick the ball to shooters, or cutters, having, again, pulled the zone out of shape and forced help.
Well, the Rockets certainly attacked into the teeth of the zone. They didn’t pass out, and no one moved, cut, or followed those attacks. They stood around waiting for offensive rebounds, as if those, rather than baskets, were the goal. (There are other zone breaking methods, of course, but rest assured, we saw none of those, either.)
The good news is that the Rockets lost their lead in the 3rd quarter, late. So they did not add a 12th blown 4th quarter lead to their already commanding 11 blown 4th quarter leads. Nice to be far out ahead of the pack of literally any good NBA team in something, right? (Pelicans are next with 9 such blown leads. The average is about 4.)
This looked like most other Rockets losses. The defense holds yet another opponent below NBA average points, but loses because the Rockets themselves can barely break 100 points against all but the worst of the NBA.
I wish I had more sunshine for you, but that’s what I’m seeing. With no change in sight, and no recognition, at least publicly, that change is needed. The Rockets have enough raw talent to hang around third in the Western Conference. But they could be so much more.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Far too many times over the past few years, the Islanders have been in the same position the Blue Jackets were Saturday night: playing a four-point game, long before the end of the season, where it felt like their lives were on the line.
Rarely have they been in the opposite chair, but there they were Saturday. Columbus came into the evening six points behind the Islanders — the playoff team closest to them — and with two games in hand. An Islanders win wasn’t going to eliminate the Blue Jackets, but surely a growing standings deficit the week of the trade deadline would point Columbus general manager Don Waddell in a certain direction.
Now, Waddell has a hard week in front of him. His team tossed away a 2-0 lead in a game it was dominating through 30 minutes, and the Islanders walked out of Nationwide Arena with a 4-3 overtime victory on Simon Holmstrom’s game-winning goal that left the Blue Jackets seven points out of a playoff spot and gasping for air.
It was the second game of two on this road trip in which the Islanders trailed by two goals in the second period, and the second game of two in which their resiliency, along with some timely adjustments from coach Patrick Roy, made that forgettable.
Simon Holmstrom (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Islanders’ 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets on Feb. 28, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
“We just needed to be better with our puck management, that’s all it was,” Roy said. “When our ‘D’ were in [the offensive zone], we have to cover for them, and we didn’t do a good job. And they took advantage of it.
“… I thought we started putting more pressure on our neutral zone instead of sitting back. We had more pressure on our forecheck and we pressed more on the D-Zone coverage. I thought that created the game we had towards the end.”
There was also something more simple: throwing pucks and bodies to the net. That was how Anders Lee, off a Scott Mayfield rebound, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, off his own rebound, scored 22 seconds apart to tie the game just after its halfway point. And it was how Mayfield made it 3-2 off a shot that ricocheted, taking a hard left turn off Kirill Marchenko and hitting Zach Werenski before crossing the goal line at 17:10 of the second.
Ilya Sorokin makes a save on Boone Jenner during the first period of the Islanders’ overtime road win over the Blue Jackets. NHLI via Getty Images
Columbus came back down and re-tied it on Adam Fantilli’s deflection from Werenski to set up a 3-3 game entering the last 20 minutes, but the damage was done and the game had shifted.
“We saw what was working,” Pageau said. “Low to high, get pucks at the net, crash the net. That’s what created most of our goals. Other than the OT winner, all the goals were created like that.”
Just like two nights prior in Montreal, the Islanders got better as the game went on. The third period was their best, and if not for some good work by Jet Greaves, the Blue Jackets would have lost this game before overtime.
Undefeated in games that end in 3-on-3 play, though, the Islanders weren’t about to let their perfect record slip. They barely let the Blue Jackets touch the puck, and Holmstrom eventually put away Tony DeAngelo’s outlet pass to seal the win.
Anders Lee (right) battles for position with left wing Danton Heinen during the Islanders’ road overtime win over the Blue Jackets. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
“I think we proved the last two games we’re very resilient,” Holmstrom said. “We don’t quit. We stay with it.”
The Islanders had started this one slowly. Their puck management was less than great, and aside from Cal Ritchie’s line, there weren’t many chances to speak of. Even Ilya Sorokin made a rare error, letting the puck trickle through him 2:30 into the game on Isac Lundeström’s tip from Dante Fabbro.
Mason Marchment, the villain last time these teams played, made it 2-0 early in the second off Charlie Coyle’s feed to the right circle that seemed to make its way through the Islanders’ defense in slow motion.
Lee and Pageau — who scored the tying and winning goals on Thursday in Montreal — pulled the Islanders back into the game, and this is a team that doesn’t tend to let those opportunities go to waste.
They didn’t Saturday.
And they may have just pushed Columbus’ season to the brink.
DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 28: Gavin Brindley #54 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates after a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
In continuation of the Central Division showdowns, the Colorado Avalanche moved on in their busy schedule in hosting the Chicago Blackhawks in a Saturday afternoon affair hoping to erase the bitter taste of defeat from two nights ago. It wasn’t a masterful effort but still Colorado found enough to end up with a 3-1 win over Chicago.
The Game
It wasn’t the start to the game the Avalanche were hoping for. Devon Toews took a hooking penalty six minutes into the match and Connor Bedard converted for Chicago on the power play for the game’s first score. For the rest of the first period the two teams would trade fruitless power plays while the Avalanche crafted a 14-4 shot advantage.
The second period wasn’t much better and was a slog to get through. Colorado took a too many men penalty early and then Chicago was called for three straight infractions after that. Colorado capitalized on none of them, gaining only a 9-5 shot advantage in the period in the process.
A sign of life, though, emerged after the fourth failed power play of the game for Colorado as Cale Makar found the back of the net with nine seconds left in the period. It wasn’t even a clean pass from MacKinnon as a Blackhawk tipped it on the way to Makar but he was able to find an open look much closer to the net that he has been and fired his favorite shot from the top of the right circle to tie the game 1-1 heading into the second intermission.
A shorthanded 3-on-1 happened early in the final frame but the Avalanche over-passed their way out of it to keep the game tied. Who knew the fourth line would bail out the Avalanche in their third minute of time on ice in the game? That’s exactly what happened midway through the third period to give Colorado their first lead of the contest when Gavin Brindley cleaned up some loose change at the net front.
Nothing else happened in this game except for an empty net goal scored by Makar after just seconds after Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Nečas over-passed themselves into a turnover when they had a chance at securing the victory. A 3-1 Colorado win was recorded after this sloppy game.
Takeaways
Joel Kiviranta remained absent from this game with Zakhar Bardakov participating in his place. Prior to the game Jared Bednar admitted on the radio that the Finn is going through concussion protocol.
It was nice to see Brindley as the hero of the game but it’s troubling he still ended with 3:26 time on ice and not a second more after he scored the game winning goal. It’s fair to wonder how much of the current bottom six forward group will remain on the roster after the upcoming NHL trade deadline on Friday.
Upcoming
A busy March schedule kicks off with the first of a back-to-back in California against the LA Kings at 8:30 p.m. MT on Monday, March 2nd.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Simon Holmstrom scored 1:50 into overtime as the New York Islanders beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win.
Holmstrom got the feed from Tony DeAngelo and had a clear path up the right side of the ice before cutting toward the net with a wrist shot to beat Columbus’ Jet Greaves.
It was Holmstrom’s 14th goal of the season and his second in overtime. The Islanders are 8-0 in overtime games this season, the only team in the league that hasn’t lost in the extra period.
Scott Mayfield had a goal and assist for the Islanders. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 22 seconds apart in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit. Ilya Sorokin stopped 27 shots.
Columbus’ Zach Wereneki, who had the assist on Jack Hughes’ goal in the United States’ gold-medal victory over Canada at the Olympics, had a pair of assists and extended his points streak to a nine games, the longest run by a defenseman in franchise history.
Werenski, second among NHL defensemen with 65 points, has 13 in his last nine games (two goals, 11 assists). It was Werenski’s 21st multipoint game this season and the 100th of his 10-year career. With 621 games played, he’s the fifth-fastest active defenseman to reach the mark.
Isac Lundeström, Mason Marchment, Adam Fantilli had Columbus’ goals. Greaves made 22 saves.
Columbus is seven points behind the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division and five back of Boston for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
Marchment, whose goal 3:58 into the second gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead, has 10 goals in 16 games with the Blue Jackets since being acquired in a trade from Seattle on Dec. 19. That’s the fewest games a Columbus player has needed to reach double-digit goals.
Feb 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Timo Meier (28) is congratulated after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues in the second period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
First Period
In the first period, the Devils had a very disjointed effort. Despite not generating a ton of scoring chances (three high-danger), the team had several giveaways. Per Natural Stat Trick, Dawson Mercer (2), Connor Brown, Nick Bjugstad, Nico Hischier, Simon Nemec, and Timo Meier were all credited with giveaways on bad passes. Having seven giveaways in a game can be bad enough, but the Devils made other mistakes with the puck, too. Sometimes, they recovered well, and sometimes, they did not.
My least favorite moment of the first period was on the penalty kill, after Dougie Hamilton took a trip. Luke Hughes, who does not get a ton of penalty killing time, made an excellent read to intercept a pass in the defensive zone and skated it out himself. After gaining the center ice line, Hughes looked to feed it across to Nick Bjugstad. Those two and Jesper Bratt entered the zone, but one too many passes back between Bjugstad and Bratt led to a chance the other way. Bratt could have put pressure on Binnington with a one-timer on the rush, but he was too much of a perfectionist.
I will disagree with Bryce Salvador’s commentary on that play, as he praised Luke for having the responsibility to get back on defense rather than press the attack too much. I get it — it’s the penalty kill. But Luke Hughes made a perfect read on a bad pass and had good legs going into the offensive zone, and we know he is skilled enough to score. I do not think he should be coached in a way to automatically defer to the forwards there. If Luke Hughes thinks he can take the puck to the net himself, he should do it. If he thinks he has a shot, he should take it. We are talking about someone whose skillset should make him a 60+ point defenseman (or better) if his speed/hands combo are used right. We’ve seen him go nearly end-to-end, we’ve seen him score on the rush, and while I think he made a great pass to Nick Bjugstad, I would have had no issue if he went up on offense by himself. That’s who he has to be if he wants to reach his full potential.
Second Period
Jesper Bratt drew a penalty to start the second period. Unfortunately, the first unit looked rather rough without him or Meier, as Connor Brown and Arseny Gritsyuk were on the top wave. Their first shot of the power play came from a play off the faceoff from Luke Hughes to Simon Nemec, who found Timo Meier to the side of the slot. His shot was saved by Binnington, and St. Louis cleared the puck off the glass and out of play as the penalty expired.
Not long after Jack Hughes set up Connor Brown for a potential one-timer that was fanned on after Jack had spun around the zone to create a passing lane, Brett Pesce fired a shot off the iron. But the Devils did not get down on themselves, and Timo Meier roofed a shot on the rush to give them a lead! Coming down the right wing on the rush, Timo Meier looked like a true difference maker, putting the puck over Binnington’s blocker arm.
Unfortunately, he would take a high sticking penalty with three minutes to play in the period. Prior to the penalty, the Devils were doing a great job of controlling the pace of play in the second period, generating eight high-danger chances throughout the period to zero by St. Louis at five-on-five. And it was a rough penalty to take, too, as the Devils were pressuring in the offensive zone at the time. Thankfully, the Devils had a good kill, and the temporary loss of momentum did not come back to bite them.
Brett Pesce got tripped up at the end of the penalty kill, gutting the play out to go into the corner, drawing another trip as his knee seemed to be bothering him going off the ice. The Devils had another chance, but St. Louis cleared early on. But Dougie Hamilton drop passed to Jack in the neutral zone, and Jack Hughes went all the way around the net before teeing up a one-timer for Dougie, who ripped it past Binnington for a 2-0 lead!
That might have been the #NJDevils best second period since October. At 5v5 (14:56):
The Devils ran into trouble early when Jack Hughes took an uncharacteristic delay of game penalty. Again, the Devils had a great penalty kill, almost creating a scoring chance when Nick Bjugstad took on a few Blues and came away with the puck in the offensive zone, firing a shot that was blocked. Dougie Hamilton looked for Jack coming out of the box at the end of the kill, but the puck off the boards just missed Jack’s stick.
Back at even strength, the pace of play was very slow in the third period. The Devils, who dominated the second period, sat back more in the third period. The Blues emptied the net with over three minutes to play, as they were struggling to create offense. Bratt iced the puck looking for a long empty netter with 2:48 to play, but the Devils did a good job of slowing play down on the boards after the icing faceoff to draw another whistle, giving them the chance to change with 2:38 to play. After keeping the Blues to the outside on the following shift, Dawson Mercer got the puck in the slot and cleared it down the ice, just missing the left post by a foot or so.
Markstrom tried to go for the full-ength empty netter and was promptly scored on by Pavel Buchnevich with just over a minute to play. It could have been called for goaltender interference, as Buchnevich prevented Makrstrom from returning to the crease after his clearing attempt was knocked down, but the Devils chose not to challenge. I understand not wanting to take a penalty for delay of game if the challenge failed, but it seemed like clear interference in not allowing the goalie a path back to the crease.
After the Devils iced the puck with 40 seconds to play, the Blues called timeout. Nico Hischier won the draw, but Dougie Hamilton’s chip up the ice was blocked back to Hischier. Hischier was held up, but he iced the puck with 33 seconds to play. They won the puck back again in the defensive zone after the next draw, and Connor Brown deflected the puck a good 25 feet into the air at the blueline to get it out to center ice. But Brown and Bratt pressured the puck more, and Jesper Bratt passed up an empty netter to set Nico Hischier up for the Devils’ third goal of the game, as they beat the Blues 3-1.
The Devils won this game with a great second period effort. They had as many shots in the second period at five-on-five as the other two periods combined (14), while they had eight of their 11 high-danger scoring chances. So, while the Devils went into a bit of a prevent defense, parking the bus in the third period, the St. Louis Blues were already tired. Per Natural Stat Trick, the St. Louis Blues had 15 “extra long” shifts during the game to only 10 for the Devils, while they had 51 total long shifts to the Devils’ 55. While I cannot break Natural Stat Trick’s data on a by-period level (unless I look before the end of the game), I am going to take a guess that most of St. Louis’ “extra long shifts” came in that second period. The Devils dominated the puck that period, and it was very difficult for St. Louis to get full changes as a result. You can see this on the Meier goal, as Justin Faulk was one of the Blues who were unable to change off after Pesce’s shot rang iron, and he was unable to block Meier’s shot.
This is something I have hated from the Devils this season. All too often, it seems like they are losing the second period shift battle. So, a good start in the first period turns to them getting tired down the stretch until they play an entire uncompetitive third period. Instead of falling into that trap today, they inflicted it on St. Louis. I think it made a big difference in St. Louis being unable to crack the Devils in the third period, even though the forwards dialed it back.
A Change in the Offensive Approach and Olympic Markstrom
Two huge things have stood in the Devils’ way this season: their very conservative in-zone offense and the inconsistency from Jacob Markstrom in goal. Both looked a lot different today.
On offense, the Devils have often only kept one or two forwards around the net this season, working around the perimeter and along the blueline. Sometimes, this gets so bad that the Devils have four skaters above the faceoff dots hunting for the infinitesimal chance of that one skater in front getting deflecting the puck with three or four opponent skaters clogging the slot area. When the Devils were at their best today, they were cycling three or even (shockingly) four skaters attacking below the dots.
Were there some miscues? Yes. Jonas Siegenthaler’s scorpion-style kick block at the end of the first period after Dougie Hamilton went for an aggressive pinch on Brayden Schenn was a good example of that. But that is why the Devils pay mobile shutdown defensemen like Siegenthaler and Dillon a lot of money. They are paid to cover for when the offensive playmakers put the team in a difficult spot. Siegenthaler earns his paycheck with plays like that. Players like Hamilton (who scored the game-winning goal), Nemec, and Hughes are going to need to take risks to maximize their offensive potential.
Thankfully, Sheldon Keefe did not send a message to play more safely in the second. Their execution was simply better. Going for more aggressive plays led to better offense, and I would love to see more of this kind of play moving forward.
On the other end of the ice, Jacob Markstrom continued to look like OLYMPIC MARKSTROM rather than the iteration we saw from him between October and January. He stopped 25 of 26 shots with 1.67 expected goals against in all situations, though I still think he should have had a shutout. In two games since playing for Team Sweden in Milan, Markstrom is 1-1-0 with a .935 save percentage. In his last four NHL appearances, going back to January 29, Markstrom is 2-2-0 with a .931 save percentage and a goals against average just over 2.00. Markstrom’s best statistical stretch this season came from December 19 to January 3, when he was 2-2-0 with a .941 save percentage — the only four-game stretch with a better save percentage than this one for Markstrom. If he can sustain it this time, it would go a long way to easing concerns over the team’s goaltending over the next year or so.
Your Thoughts
What did you think of today’s game? Did you think the Devils played well? How do you think this game will impact their personal confidence in the next few weeks? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
At 1:47 of the overtime frame, Simon Holmstrom collected a stretch pass from Tony DeAngelo before cutting across the crease to beat a sprawling Jet Greaves for the game-winning goal:
With the win, the Islanders now hold a seven-point lead on Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division and now sit tied in points with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second.
Here's how we got there.
For a second straight game, the Islanders found themselves down 2-0 but, in short order, found themselves back even.
After Matthew Schaefer needed 55 seconds on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens to score twice and tie that hockey game, the Islanders needed just 22 seconds to do the same on Saturday.
First, it was Islanders captain Anders Lee batting a puck out of the air off a Scott Mayfield backhand at 11:37 of the second:
Then, at 11:59 of the second, Jean-Gabriel Pageau followed up his own rebound, before the puck bounced in past Blue Jackets' netminder Jet Greaves. Columbus head coach Rick Bowness would challenge for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood:
Cody Bellinger’s back “went out on him a little bit” Friday, manager Aaron Boone said, which kept him out of Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field. Bellinger will not play in Sunday’s game against the Phillies, either, but the Yankees are hoping he could get back into action by Tuesday following Monday’s team off-day.
“He’ll probably be, I’m guessing, a couple days,” Boone said. “He was quite a bit better today. Trainers aren’t too concerned about it. And this is something that crops up on him every now and then, usually sometime in spring or early in the year.”
Cody Bellinger flies out during the Yankees’ spring training win over the Braves on Feb. 26, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The 30-year-old Bellinger has played in three games so far this spring, the most recent one Thursday.
The veteran outfielder missed a pair of games last April due to the same back issue, but it proved to be a minor deal then, which the Yankees are hoping is also the case this time around.
An inflamed back forced Cam Schlittler to be slowed down earlier in camp, but the right-hander has since resumed his ramp-up and is expected to throw another live batting practice Sunday.
The plan is for Giancarlo Stanton to make his spring debut on Tuesday when the Yankees host Panama at Steinbrenner Field. As has become customary, the veteran DH has been slow-played into games in an attempt to keep him healthy over the long haul.
And while Stanton has consistently maintained that the pain from his tennis elbow in both arms is never going away, he has continued to get his work in early in camp, including taking ground balls in right field on Saturday morning.
A day after Gerrit Cole faced hitters for the second time in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, Brian Cashman joined the chorus of voices who have gushed about how everything has gone to this point.
“There’s twists and turns to rehab — you have good days, you have bad days — it feels like he’s had nothing but good days, which is fantastic,” Cashman said. “He had Tommy John in a little bit of an older part of your career and you don’t know how age is going to play an impact. Even if everything goes perfect, sometimes the velocity’s not there after they come back. But right now, it looks good.”
Amed Rosario was a late scratch from Saturday’s lineup due to WBC travel. He was going to get only one at-bat in the game before having to fly out, so the Yankees opted to have him take it in live batting practice on a backfield instead. … Ryan Yarbrough was sick Friday, so his next outing has been pushed back after starting a game last Monday.
Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz believed that his team was going to get a huge boost in the lineup this offseason.
Before Kyle Schwarber signed a five-year, $150 million deal to stay with the Phillies in December, De La Cruz thought that the three-time All-Star was joining the Reds.
Elly De La Cruz reacts at third base in the eighth inning against the Mets’ win over the Reds on July 20, 2025 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
De La Cruz also said he saw Schwarber on his free agent visit for Cincinnati while working out at the Reds’ facility, and that they had a brief conversation.
It was rumored early in the offseason that Schwarber, an Ohio native, could have signed with the Reds, and that they offered him a five-year deal worth $125 million, according to multiple reports.
Though Schwarber ultimately remained in Philadelphia, he admitted that he was “impressed” by the Reds after meeting with them.
“I was impressed,” Schwarber told MLB.com in December. “Me and [my wife] Paige went down to Cincinnati, and we were able to sit down and have that conversation with them and hear them out. I would say that they were not pulling chains, and that they were wanting to try to get me to Cincinnati.
Kyle Schwarber watches his three-run home run in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ blowout win over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 9, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“There are things that you have to cover your bases and every aspect of it. We had those conversations, and I appreciate every conversation I had with every team.”
De La Cruz was not alone in thinking that Schwarber could have wound up in Cincinnati, as Phillies teammate Bryce Harper told reporters earlier in February that he also thought the designated hitter was signing with the Reds.
“I thought Kyle was going to go to Cincinnati to tell you the truth,” Harper said. “I thought it was a done deal going to Cincinnati just because being at home and things like that.
“Obviously I didn’t know. We kind of messed with him the whole time about him going back home and playing in front of his fan base.”
Schwarber was regarded as one of the top available bats this free agency after having a career year in 2025, posting a slash line of .240/.365/.563 with an NL-leading 56 homers while leading all of MLB in RBIs (132).
So what kind of reaction would Matthews get in the Canadian city? Would country or NHL team be the determining factor?
When the words "gold medalist" were said, there seemed to be a mixed reaction, but when Matthews' Leafs position and name were mentioned, the cheers reigned and people stood and clapped.
Watch the video below:
The Maple Leafs salute their Olympians Oliver Ekman-Larsson, William Nylander and Auston Matthews 🫡 pic.twitter.com/nsJNBgnelr
