Welcome to Saturday night hockey, folks!
It’s 5º F in Boston, there’s a giant snowstorm coming, there’s an AFC Championship Game involving the Patriots tomorrow…everything is happening!
If nothing else, it’s a nice night to stay in and watch a hockey game. Hopefully the Bruins put forth a better effort than last time they hosted Montreal, but we’ll see.
Bruins! Canadiens! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE ON ICE!
Discuss.
After Saturday's game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolveswas postponed due to a fatal shooting at the hands of a federal officer in Minnesota, television host and former NBA MVP Charles Barkley offered his thoughts live on Inside the NBA, saying people need to "step up and be adults."
Barkley called the situation "sad" and "scary," and said that "two people have died for no reason."
That was in reference to Saturday's shooting as well as that of Renee Good, who was shot by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Barkley expressed that things are "going to end badly. It's already ended badly twice."
Ernie Johnson announces that the Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minnesota, which was scheduled as part of the ABC tripleheader, has been postponed by the NBA.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 24, 2026
Charles Barkley: "Somebody's gotta step up and be adults... Two people have died for no reason, and it's just sad." https://t.co/pMz60VdlQSpic.twitter.com/nsD98p9cQX
Per the NBA, the Warriors-Timberwolves game that was scheduled for Saturday will now be played on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/zETGHzpYX5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 24, 2026
The announcement notes that this decision was made in order to "prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley makes bold statement on Minneapolis shooting
The Buffalo Sabres have endured injuries that have reduced the organization’s blueline depth, and in his first trade since taking over, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired veteran minor-league defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from the Carolina Hurricanes for AHL winger Viktor Neuchev.
Neuchev was selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of the Ekaterinburg Automobilist system, and after a full year in the KHL, the 22-year-old signed his entry-level contract and started in Rochester in a depth role. His role with the Amerks increased as the season progressed, and he ended his rookie season with 28 points (11 goals,17 assists). Last season, he was on pace to eclipse his rookie totals, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
In the final year of his ELC, Neuchev has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 34 games.
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Bayreuther, 31, was an undrafted college free agent signed by Dallas in 2016, and after four years with the Stars, he was signed by Kekalainen in Columbus in 2020 and spent three years shuttling between the Blue Jackets and AHL Cleveland. After returning to the Stars organization for one year and playing in Switzerland last season, the left-handed defenseman signed with the Hurricanes, playing 33 games with the AHL Chicago Wolves.
The Sabres are without defenseman Conor Timmins (broken leg), and lost Jacob Bryson to an upper-body injury in Montreal on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Kesselring has been out four separate times this season, and with Zac Jones recalled to Buffalo, the Amerks needed help on the blueline.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
The Dallas Mavericks have managed to put together another injury-laden season, the probability of which seemed low considering just how disastrous 2024-2025 was on the health front. Dereck Lively and Dante Exum are out for the season, having combined to play seven total games (all Lively). Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have both experienced lower leg injuries resulting in multiple absences. Anthony Davis has been more injury prone than ever before. Then there is Kyrie Irving, nearing a full year since he sustained a March 3, 2025 ACL tear.
Rumors (a generous term) about Irving’s return began around the start of the new year, a by-product of irresponsible click-baiting and/or hopeful optimism, but now we have some meaningful commentary from someone who is actually close to the situation. Dwain Price wrote a piece for NBA.com wherein he collected some tidbits from Mavs’ head coach Jason Kidd.
“It will probably be after the All-Star break but there’s also other plans that could come into play here, too. Being able to get on the floor and play in an NBA game might be just a little bit different than practice.”
A post-All Star break return puts us about a month out from today for the soonest possible return to action. Should Irving get back on the floor before March, it would be an excellent recovery timeframe for the soon-to-be 34-year old.
Kidd does a good job of burying what may actually be the lede here, however. Is there a possibility Irving returns to practice, but not to games? Of course any player coming off this injury is going to have multiple test runs in practice scenarios to ensure no setbacks and to get themselves back into shape. Still, the phraseology used may be indicative of Irving having a longer than usual runway to return to game action, even after returning to practice.
“[The standings] has nothing to do with it… At some point there will be a timeline, but right now there is not a timeline… It’s about for him mentally and physically being able to play at the highest level in his mind, no one else’s.”
Taking Kidd at face value here, the Mavs making either a PlayIn push or taking a nosedive toward a better pick in the NBA Draft will have nothing to do with Irving’s return. This is good any way you cut it. If you are a fan of tanking toward the most beneficial pick this summer (the last pick the Mavs currently have exclusive control over until 2031), Irving being off the floor only helps that cause. If you’re a fan of seeing Irving paired with Cooper Flagg, waiting until he is 100% recovered is certainly the best option. There is nothing to rush back for.
Again though, there is another layer to the wordsmith onion here. The Mavs are clearly not throwing games, but rather making every effort to play hard and get wins. Irving would likely help in that effort, yet Dallas is allowing him to operate on his own level. The Mavs are going to play their games as though Irving is unavailable, and whenever he is good and ready, he will return to action (in some form) regardless of where the Mavs rank in the standings.
The situation surrounding Kyrie Irving remains intriguing. He seems to be a part of the long term plan in Dallas, but the Mavs also need to be thinking about finding his replacement in the upcoming draft stacked with elite guards. Irving’s continued absence will only help the Mavs odds in having a plethora of options in the draft, while time to fully heal will better the odds that Irving returns to his best post-injury form next season.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — JT Toppin had 31 points and 12 rebounds for his 44th career double-double and Donovan Atwell hit consecutive 3-pointers late to put No. 12 Texas Tech ahead to stay in a 90-86 win over No. 6 Houston on Saturday, ending the Cougars' 11-game winning streak.
True freshman Kingston Flemings had a season-high 42 points with six assists for the Cougars (17-2, 5-1 Big 12), who had won their past 16 true road games — all conference games — since a loss at No. 8 Kansas two years ago. That was a school record and the nation's longest active streak.
Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1) had 10 made 3s in the first half when scoring 55 points against a Houston team that coming in ranked second nationally allowing only 60.1 points. The Red Raiders made only two from beyond the arc after halftime, Atwell hitting the go-ahead 3 with 5:55 left and adding another 34 seconds later.
There were eight lead changes and eight ties in the game that Houston led for 18 minutes, 41 seconds, and Tech led 18:12.
Tech is 11-0 at home this season and has won five games in a row overall, and nine of 10 — the loss in that span being 69-65 at Houston on Jan. 6. Tech was the only Big 12 team to beat the Cougars last season, when they were conference champs and national runner-up.
Atwell, who finished with five 3s, and Jaylen Petty both had 18 points. Christian Anderson had 12 points with nine assists.
Emmanuel Sharp had 20 points for Houston.
Toppin's 44 career double-doubles are the second most for active players behind Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (48). Toppin has 32 in 52 games with Tech since transferring from New Mexico after his freshman season.
Up nextHouston at TCU on Wednesday.
Texas Tech has a break before going to UCF next Saturday.
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ROME (AP) — Como routed Torino 6-0 in Serie A on Saturday to follow up its 5-1 rout of the same opponent in November.
Anastasios Douvikas scored twice for Como, and Martin Baturina, Lucas Da Cunha, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and Maxence Caqueret added on for Cesc Fabregas’ team.
Como moved up to fifth place and just outside the Champions League places. It's 40 points are already a record in the top flight for the club located on the Swiss border.
Also, mid-table Cagliari won at Fiorentina 2-1, leaving the Tuscan club in the relegation zone; and Lazio was held at Lecce to 0-0.
On Sunday, second-placed AC Milan visits fourth-placed Roma and third-placed Napoli goes to sixth-placed Juventus.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Malik Reneau had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson each added 16 points, and Miami defeated Syracuse 85-76 on Saturday.
Reneau picked up his sixth double-double of the season, and was 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. He also dished five assists to tie Donaldson for a team-high.
The Hurricanes (16-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a two-game skid after winning their first four games of conference play.
Miami got off to a hot start, opening on a 9-0 run and building a double-digit lead. They took a 41-36 lead into halftime after Syracuse rallied back, but held the lead for all of the second half to win comfortably.
Tru Washington chipped in with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and the Hurricanes turned in a stellar shooting performance, making 61% of their shots from the field and 54% from beyond the arc. They had 20 of 33 made shots off assists.
Miami entered the contest leading the ACC in field-goal percentage and third in assists per game.
For the Orange (12-8, 3-4), Donnie Freeman led with 14 points, and Kiyan Anthony and Naithan George each had 13 points. Syracuse shot 49% from the field and 29% from deep.
Up nextMiami hosts Stanford on Wednesday.
Syracuse visits NC State on Tuesday.
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Japanese star Yu Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million deal with the Cubs before the 2018 season, with escalators that could have brought that deal to $150 million. You all likely remember the “Daily Darvish” posts I made here in early 2018 in anticipation of Darvish’s signing.
Injuries and ineffectiveness ruined his first year with the Cubs. After a slow start in 2019 he went on an 11-start run with a 2.44 ERA and 0.784 WHIP and in that span he walked six (!) and struck out 93. Then the Cubs pen failed him in his last two starts, where he walked one and struck out 25 in 15.1 innings, and the Cubs collapsed out of a playoff spot. In the pandemic season, Darvish was great. He posted a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts, striking out 93 and walking just 14 in 76 innings, and finished second in Cy Young voting.
Then, as you know, the Cubs salary-dumped Darvish to the Padres (along with Victor Caratini, insisted on by the Padres as Darvish’s personal catcher) for four prospects, only one of whom, Owen Caissie, ever played in the major leagues. (Zach Davies was also included in the deal coming to the Cubs, but he had an awful season, one of the worst ever by a Cubs starter.)
Today, Darvish told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he is walking away from three years and $43 million remaining on his deal, after having elbow surgery in October:
“The way my rehab is going now, I am focused on getting right, not on coming back,” he said late last month. “Right now I’m not really thinking too much about the future. Just knowing the way I think, I’m sure I will one day want to throw again. All I’ve thought about in my life is baseball.”
Darvish missed half of the 2024 season due to elbow issues and a personal matter but came back to pitch exceptionally well in the playoffs. When he and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller spoke after that season, it was with the understanding that Darvish would likely need elbow surgery at some point. Darvish said he made it clear at that time he was considering “getting rid of” his contract.
“As far as leaving lots of money,” Darvish said in a recent interview, “I look at it as that was never mine to begin with, especially considering the money I haven’t physically earned yet.”
Darvish had one really good year in San Diego in 2022, posting a 3.10 ERA and 0.950 WHIP and finishing eighth in Cy Young voting. Overall in five years with the Padres, he posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.100 WHIP in 115 starts. He made 51 starts with the Cubs in three years in blue pinstripes with a 3.60 ERA and 1.106 WHIP.
As you might recall, the Cubs were in on the bidding when Darvish was posted prior to the 2012 season, but the Texas Rangers won that bid and he played five years there, along with half a season with the Dodgers in 2017, where he stymied the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLCS.
Presuming this is it for Darvish, his final MLB game will be Game 3 of the 2025 Wild Card Series against the Cubs last October at Wrigley Field, where he threw a scoreless first inning, then the Cubs had four straight batters reach against him in the second. The last batter he faced was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit an RBI single [VIDEO].
I know many of you will note the salary dump of Darvish by the Cubs as a key moment in that part of Cubs history, and you’re certainly right about that. I’ll also note that with the trade of Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera, the Cubs still have a chance to get something out of that trade tree. Here’s hoping.
Overall, Darvish made 297 MLB starts and posted 33.6 bWAR. He had a 3.65 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, 2,075 strikeouts and 115 wins. Add to that 93 wins and a 1.99 ERA in 167 games (164 starts) with 1,250 strikeouts in seven years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in NPB and there’s a borderline Hall of Fame argument for Darvish.
Yu Darvish was a fun player to have on the Cubs while he was a member of the team. It’s unfortunate he spent much of that time injured, and was salary-dumped when he still could have helped the club. I wish him well in retirement.
UPDATE: After the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune was published, Darvish put this on social media. So we’ll see.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.
Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.
Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.
Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.
David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.
Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.
Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, off a rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.
Zucker’s second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.
Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.
Sabres: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Islanders: At Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
Yu Darvish, amazing, magical pitcher who Rangers fans were fortunate enough to watch during his best years, is retiring, per multiple reports. A buyout is being negotiated between Darvish and the San Diego Padres in regards to the final three years of his deal, but reports indicate that he will be forfeiting the bulk of what he is owed by the Padres.
It is an unfortunate end to the career of one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen, and one of the best pitchers to wear a Texas Rangers uniform. Watching him retire 26 batters in a row at Minute Maid Park with a bevy of LSB-ers is one of the most memorable moments in my Rangers fandom.
(ed. note — Yu Darvish has released a statement saying that he hasn’t decided yet whether he is retiring.)
I could recite his stats and try to describe to you his greatness, but instead, I’m going to just drop this here:
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Britt Prince scored 20 points, Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie each scored 15 points and 24th-ranked Nebraska held off Illinois 81-75 on Saturday.
Reserve Petra Bozan scored 11 points for the Cornhuskers (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) who shot 49% (27 of 55).
Cearah Parchment scored 25 points, Berry Wallace scored 22 points, Destiny Jackson 13 and reserve Maddie Webber 11 for Illinois (15-5, 5-4).
Prince's short jumper not a minute into the second half gave Nebraska its largest lead of the game at 43-24. The Illini got within 56-44 at the end of three quarters, but not until late in the fourth did they become a threat.
Jackson made two foul shots with 2:30 left to get Illinois within double figures for the first time since early in the first. Parchment made 1 of 2 foul shots and Jackson made two more to make it 71-65 with 1:45 left but the Illini couldn't get any closer.
Amiah Hargrove's 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the first quarter gave Nebraska a 9-7 lead and started a 10-0 Cornhuskers run. They led for the remainder.
Nebraska led 19-11 at the end of the first and 41-23 at halftime.
Nebraska leads the series between the two teams 22-8. The Huskers lead 10-2 in Lincoln.
Up NextIllinois: Hosts third-ranked UCLA on Wednesday.
Nebraska: Hosts Northwestern on Wednesday.
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On January 16th, 2026, the New York Rangers released a letter to their fanbase addressing the current state of their franchise. After 'Fire Drury' chants flooded the ice at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers general manager addressed the state of the team by officially declaring the Rangers as a team that will be moving forward with a 'retool' not a rebuild.
"This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects." - Chris Drury
In their ensuing retool, the Rangers have had discussions with upcoming unrestricted free agent Artemi Panarin, the team's leading scorer. Panarin, 34, has been informed by New York's brass that he will not be offered a contract extension from the club, meaning the four-time all-star will likely be on the move come the NHL's trade deadline.
Of course plenty of teams are interested in the dynamic winger, including the Los Angeles Kings. However, as elite as Panarin is, pursuing him may not be the best course of action for the Kings to take.
On the most recent episode of '32 Thoughts' Elliotte Friedman brought up the Kings as a potential suitor for Panarin, and even said that he thinks the forward would not mind playing in Los Angeles. With that being said, he doesn't think the Kings make the move unless he comes with a contract extension in place.
Panarin is expected to ask for a four to five year deal for his next contract which would take him into his age 39 season. With his play style, his production shouldn't be expected to take a major hit, so his ability make plays and put the puck in the back of the net would help the Kings who struggle mightily in that department.
In 51 games with the Rangers this season, Panarin has scored 19 goals along with 37 assists for 56 points on a putrid Rangers team. He would rank first on the Kings in all three of those departments. It's not unreasonable for the team to express interest in a guy that would seemingly be your best player if acquired, but that doesn't always mean it's the right move.
NHL Rumors: Kings Linked To Multiple Centers Amid Positional StrugglesAs the NHL trade deadline approaches, trade rumors have been heating up, and there's no exception with the Los Angeles Kings. Players such as Elias Pettersson, Nazem Kadri, and others have linked to L.A.It's abundantly clear that this Kings roster needs an upgrade, and Panarin would be just that, but does he really fit their timeline?
Right now, the Kings provide zero threat to win the Stanley Cup, so why should they offload young assets to acquire a 34-year-old winger that doesn't push them over the edge.
Even if they can manage to lock up Panarin to the four-five year deal he's expressed interest in, what would that look like in terms of AAV? Can you pay him more than Adrian Kempe, because that may have to happen in order to get him signed. Many teams in win-now mode will be all over Panarin who will be the biggest fish in July's free agency period. Overpaying for a veteran winger in his mid 30's while you're not a serious contender doesn't seem wise, especially when winger isn't the biggest positional need.
Could Panarin Be The Offensive Jolt The Kings Require?Artemi Panarin might be available for a trade after the New York Rangers announced they're headed for a retool. Could the Los Angeles Kings pursue the star left winger to give their lack of scoring a boost?Obviously we are in the midst of the final season of Anze Kopitar's illustrious career, and with him leaving, leaves a gaping hole at the center ice position. Artemi Panarin does not fill that hole.
Instead of using time and resources on Panarin, the Kings would benefit more from searching for a replacement for Kopitar. Of course virtually nobody can live up the legacy that Kopi has built in the L.A. but there needs to be a plan beyond this season.
Quinton Byfield will likely get the first crack at the first line center job next season, but why not bring in another center that is available to provide some friendly competition for the role. Much like NFL teams do for their starting quarterback role when the position is in limbo.
Artemi Panarin is an incredible player and it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were to make the trade for him, but at this moment in time. He doesn't fit the needs or timeline of the Los Angeles Kings.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.
Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.
Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.
Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.
David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.
Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.
Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, offa rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.
Zucker's second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.
Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.
Up nextSabres: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Islanders: At Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Rick Pitino has added another accolade to his Hall of Fame career, even if he didn't necessarily like that it came at the expense of his son.
St. John's used a second half surge and held on to beat Xavier, 88-83, on Saturday, Jan. 24 to get Pitino his 900th career win. With the victory, Pitino is now fourth place among Division I men's basketball coaches for all-time wins.
After the Red Storm pulled off the road victory, Pitino was mobbed by his players, who donned shirts to mark the occasion. He didn't want to take the credit for the elite achievement.
"Players get coaches wins, and nothing sweeter than getting 900 because of these guys," he said on the broadcast.
What's left to achieve for Coach Pitino after reaching 900 career wins?
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) January 24, 2026
"1,000" 😆🤝 @TheAndyKatzhttps://t.co/m6BV5EceMtpic.twitter.com/wbLyVMHS1t
When asked how he was able to get win No. 900, Pitino praised his family, adding he is still enjoying the job at 73 years old.
"I've got a great family, great wife, who have kept me young," he said. "They allow me to work with these guys 12-13 hours a day, and I'm just enjoying it more than ever. Great group, great group to coach."
Speaking of family, it played a part in the game. An interesting storyline was the achievement came thanks to Pitino beating his son Richard, who is the coach at Xavier. Pitino said he doesn't like to be victorious over his son, and praised his work with the Musketeers.
"I don't like beating him, obviously, but it's beating Xavier," Pitino said. "Richard did a phenomenal job. ... I can't love him or be more proud of him."
The win moved St. John's to 15-5 on the season. It now has won six in a row to start Big East play at 8-1.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rick Pitino 'enjoying it more than ever' with 900th career win
If the Islanders don’t watch out, they are going to have a playoff race on their hands.
Such is the state of play following Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Sabres in which the Islanders were utterly embarrassed on home ice, their power play dysfunctional and their top line benched for the entire third period.
The loss means that, if the Flyers beat the Islanders on Monday night in Philadelphia, they will move ahead of New York for third in the Metropolitan Division on points percentage, with the loser below the playoff cutline entirely.
The schedule has been unforgiving to the Islanders, but nevertheless, this is not the position they imagined themselves in a few weeks ago.
It is, though, exactly what they deserve at the moment.
“I felt good about our game,” coach Patrick Roy said, “until they scored that second goal.”
That second goal, with Zach Benson feeding Tage Thompson on an odd-man rush where Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair failed to backcheck in the dying embers of the second period, sucked the life out of the crowd and sucked the life out of the Islanders.
The entire top line — Barzal, Duclair and Anders Lee — was benched for the whole third period as a result, and the Islanders gave no semblance of coming back. At that point, the afternoon became about the message Roy was trying to send more than salvaging a result.
“It sends a big message,” Casey Cizikas said. “… Guys gotta be responsible. They gotta be held accountable. That’s what Patty did.”
Up until then, the moments in which they could have seized hold of this one were myriad.
There was Tony DeAngelo’s shot off the rush late in the first period that Alex Lyon stretched over to make a great save on; there was Max Shabanov’s backhand in front; there were a trio of shorthanded rushes all on the same Buffalo power play; there were two Islander power plays that amounted to nothing at all; there was a Cizikas goal wiped off for interference and a Barzal goal that came right after the first period buzzer.
That was all before Buffalo scored for a second time, and the afternoon went to hell.
The dam broke in the third, with Zucker scoring again inside of 30 seconds before Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch poured it on late, all with the top line sitting and watching.
“The standard here is to win,” Roy said. “And I hope it does because I think Barzy’s a leader on this team. Unfortunately for Anders, he was on that line. Sometimes you gotta take it for the team.”
The power play, whose units were changed up to try to achieve equilibrium following Bo Horvat’s return, is worth dwelling on. Patrick Roy did succeed in creating two equal units: they were just both equally bad.
Duclair and Cal Ritchie, who had combined for the Islanders’ past three power-play goals, were no longer on the same unit. Neither were Matthew Schaefer and Barzal. The result was two units that could hardly complete one zone entry between them.
Horvat, in his first game back from a lower-body injury, did not seem to be missing much of a step.
Ditto Isaiah George in his season debut for the Isles following a call-up in place of Ryan Pulock, though his partner, Adam Boqvist, had a nightmare performance.
In that regard, he was not alone.