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The Winnipeg Jets will look to make it back-to-back wins as they travel to Newark, N.J., to face the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists as the visiting Jets topped the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Thursday to shake off a 0-2-1 stretch. The skid was preceded by a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.
Kyle Connor added a goal and a helper, Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry also found the back of the net and Gabriel Vilardi had three assists for Winnipeg, which owns a 20-11-0 road record.
"We did a great job of taking the middle of the ice away," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "We tracked back well. (Philadelphia) is a good transition team. They skate well. I thought we really limited them in that rush game, and then our power play was big in the first period and really got them on their heels. Any time you can do that on the road, that's big.
"It was a real good solid team win."
Connor, who paces the Jets with 46 assists and 78 points, has one goal and four assists over his past three games.
Scheifele also extended his point streak to three games (two goals, three assists) in the win over the Flyers. He has a team-leading 35 goals this season.
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg's likely starter on Friday, leads the NHL in all of the major goalie statistical categories: 36 wins, a .926 save percentage, a 2.01 goals-against average and six shutouts. In 11 career games against the Devils, Hellebuyck is 8-2-1 with a 2.34 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
The Friday game will be the first of two meetings between the Devils and Jets in three weeks, as the teams will reconvene in Winnipeg on March 28.
The clubs split last season's two-game season series, each winning on home ice. Winnipeg doubled up New Jersey 6-3 before the Devils picked up a 4-1 win.
The Devils will look to snap a two-game skid on Friday, and they could have a new-look blue line.
On Thursday, New Jersey acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward prospect Herman Traff and a 2025 second-round pick.
"He's a veteran defenseman, reliable, consistent defender," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He's got size and length but also skates and moves the puck well.
"Pretty comfortable thinking he's going to help our depth and give us another left-hand shot, which I think is really important at this particular time."
Dumoulin could fill the hole left by Dougie Hamilton, who was injured Tuesday in a 4-3 defeat against the Dallas Stars.
The Devils, third in the Metropolitan Division, are 4-6-0 in their past 10 games and are 15-10-4 on home ice this season.
Jack Hughes, the team leader in goals (27), had season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
Captain Nico Hischier has 26 goals and 49 points in 57 games, while Jesper Bratt paces New Jersey with 53 assists and shares the team lead for points (70) with Hughes.
Jacob Markstrom returned to the Devils' net for the past two games after an 11-game absence caused by an MCL injury. In 38 starts this season, Markstrom is 21-11-5 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA.
The 35-year-old is 9-15-2 with an .896 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA in 26 career appearances against the Jets.
New Jersey's other goaltending option, Jake Allen, has lost four of his past five starts.
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Mike Matheson and David Savard in talks with the Canadiens
Mike Matheson has entered the final year of his contract and, with an annual salary of $4.875 million, will be free as a bird on July 1 if he hasn’t signed a new deal by then. But if we’re to believe David Pagnotta(The Fourth Period), it might not come to that, because according to the informer, discussions are currently underway between the defenseman and the Canadiens to extend his contract. We know that Matheson wants to play here, and we also know that the Canadiens like him a lot. Jeff Gorton praised him this summer, saying he was important to the club at the moment… and even if there are other defensemen growing within the organization, making room for a veteran like him isn’t a crazy idea. Especially when you recognize the fact that the Canadiens’ defense is very young. Matheson is valuable to the Canadiens. His role will diminish (possibly even more so after the arrival of Noah Dobson), but we’re still talking about a player who helps the team in his own way. Last season, he was particularly useful on the power play, and he’s likely to have a similar role this year too. If he can produce offensively, on top of all that… [content-ads] Matheson is said to be in talks with the Habs… but the same can be said of David Savard. No, it wouldn’t be in the context of a return to the ice. But the former Canadiens defenseman, who retired at the end of last season, admitted to Kevin Dubé(Journal de Québec): there may be a position waiting for him with the Canadiens at some point. We’ve had a lot of conversations, and nothing’s closed yet. – David Savard The Journal de Québec article was published on the TVA Sports site (and Habs and NHL also wrote on the subject): It’s not the first time we’ve heard about this, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Because it shows one thing: there really seems to be an interest on the part of the defenseman and the organization to find something for him. Savard was on the ice with the Quebec Remparts on Tuesday, and it’s worth remembering that he’ s associated with 44 seconds, a consulting firm that helps junior and professional defensemen. Clearly, he’s still interested in staying in the hockey world. And so much the better, if the Canadiens are able to find a role for him within the organization [spacer title=’Overtime’] – It’s true that we’re talking about a beautiful amphitheatre. – The – He knows what he has to do. – Happy reading,
Reporter offers theory on why Kirk Cousins has not been traded
There have been multiple injuries to starting quarterbacks through the first two weeks of the NFL season, which has led to speculation that the Atlanta Falcons might finally trade Kirk Cousins. It does not sound like that is close to happening. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Thursday that no teams have reached out to the Falcons about trading for Cousins despite injuries to Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy, Minnesota Vikings' J.J. McCarthy, New York Jets' Justin Fields and Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels. Cousins was once considered the type of player who would generate buzz if a team's starting QB were to go down. So why hasn't it happened? According to Rapoport, the Falcons have no real incentive to trade Cousins. Cutting the 37-year-old never made sense, as Atlanta has to pay Cousins anyway, hence why the asking price has not dropped significantly. "He is a proven starting quarterback who happens to be the backup quarterback. If Michael Penix gets hurt, Cousins will step in there," Rapoport said. "That allows the Falcons to drive a very, very hard bargain. In other words, if you're going to trade for Kirk Cousins, if you're a team that says, 'Alright, we gotta have this guy,' you're gonna have to pay some of the salary and you're gonna have to give up a real draft pick. That is the luxury the Falcons have. "If they've got to keep him, they can just keep him because he's an excellent, excellent backup quarterback. Perhaps that is why we have not seen a deal yet, but every time there is a real, long-term quarterback injury, we're gonna have the same conversation this season." Kirk Cousins was benched for poor play in 2024 Cousins lost his job to Michael Penix Jr. midway through the 2024 season. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback got off to a decent start in his first season with Atlanta, but then played poorly for a stretch. Cousins finished with 3,508 yards, 18 touchdown passes and a career-worst 16 interceptions. There were numerous trade rumors involving Cousins during the offseason, but nothing materialized. That is mainly because he is only in the second year of a four-year, $180M contract. The Falcons do not seem eager to eat much of that salary in a trade, unless a team were willing to make it worth their while with draft-pick compensation. A desperate team could still want Kirk Cousins The Bengals are bracing for a lengthy absence for Burrow, who could potentially miss the remainder of the season. The other quarterbacks who have gotten hurt are not expected to be sidelined for very long. It is possible that teams aren't desperate enough this early in the season to give up assets for Cousins. There also seems to be a belief among some that Cousins' skills have declined, which makes it tougher for the Falcons to ask for much in a potential deal.
Packers Get Good News Regarding TE Tucker Kraft’s Knee Injury
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Packers TE Tucker Kraft had “a little scare but all good” regarding the knee injury he suffered during Thursday’s practice squad. “I think he will be OK,” Schefter’s source added. The Packers were optimistic that Kraft’s knee injury wasn’t a season-threatening issue, but they had to get tests run before saying for certain. It’s still unclear whether he will be able to play in Week 3. Kraft, 24, was a two-year starter for South Dakota State and earned first-team All-American honors in 2021 and third-team in 2022. The Packers selected him in the third round with the No. 78 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s in the third year of a four-year, $5,537,934 rookie contract that included a $1,027,588 signing bonus. In 2025, Kraft has appeared in two games for the Packers and caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
'You kept your mouth shut': College Football Hall of Famer praises Georgia star
Count College Football Hall of Famer and CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor among the fans of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who led the Bulldogs to a thrilling 44-41 overtime win against Tennessee on the road on Saturday. The SEC matchup was touted as Stockton's first true test as Georgia's QB this season. "I'm going to give the game ball this week to Gunner Stockton," Taylor said Tuesday. Added the analyst: "Gunner, you represent everything that's great about football and this sport. You kept your mouth shut and you delivered when it mattered most. You pushed all the chips in on yourself, you bet on yourself and you dropped a dime and rose to the moment when your best is needed." Gunner Stockton sat behind Carson Beck, Stetson Bennett Stockton is in his first season as a full-time starter for the No. 5 Bulldogs (3-0). He enrolled at Georgia in 2022 and sat behind Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck. However, the 21-year-old redshirt junior got considerable playing time in Georgia's postseason run last season. Stockton helped lead the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship Game win over Texas after Beck suffered an injury and also started in Georgia's College Football Playoff loss against Notre Dame. The matchup against Tennessee was Stockton's first career start against an SEC opponent. Against the Volunteers, he threw for 304 yards, two touchdowns and completed 74 percent of his passes. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound QB displayed poise despite playing in a hostile environment in a rivalry the Bulldogs have won nine consecutive times. Gunner Stockton threw key TD pass late against Tennessee In a 4th-and-7 situation with Georgia trailing 38-30 late in the fourth quarter, Stockton threw a 28-yard TD pass to wideout London Humphreys to give the Bulldogs a chance to tie. Stockton then converted a two-point conversion pass to Zachariah Branch to tie the score at 38. Stockton also contributed 38 yards rushing and a TD. Georgia HC Kirby Smart's offense is predicated on the power game, and Stockton executed the game plan perfectly. Taylor, who starred at Notre Dame from 1990-93, knows football, and he likes what he sees in the Georgia QB. "It was the way he blocked out all of the noise," Taylor said about Stockton. "Somehow he had humility but confidence."
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