Mavs, Kings jockey for playoff position in key matchup

The highly coveted sixth spot in the Western Conference playoff race is on the line when the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings open a four-day, two-game series in the California capital on Tuesday night. Both teams held their position in a sixth-place tie with wins on Monday. Dallas (42-29) opened a five-game trip with a 115-105 triumph over the Utah Jazz, before the Kings (42-29) tipped off a five-game homestand with a 108-96 victory over

Deep Stars offense set to attack Sharks

If the Dallas Stars hope to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they will need offense from all four lines. The Stars have been benefiting from that lately, a big reason why they bring a four-game winning streak into their road game against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Dallas (44-19-9, 97 points) received two goals from its second line and another from the third in a 4-2 road win against the

Frustrated, spiraling Kraken meet struggling Ducks

Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol had seen enough. After a listless 5-1 defeat to visiting Montreal on Sunday night in which the Kraken allowed four unanswered goals in the first period, Hakstol let loose. “You play this game with passion. You play it with heart and you play it for the guy next to you,” Hakstol said. “And we’re not doing that right now. And that’s nuts. That’s more than disappointing. That’s hard to be

Streaking Clayton Keller leads Coyotes into matchup with Jackets

A red-hot Clayton Keller will look to continue his scoring streak when the Arizona Coyotes face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz. Keller scored his 30th goal of the season in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, giving the forward 10 points (eight goals, two assists) over his past nine games. Keller has also tallied a goal in each of his past five games, marking both a career-best goal-scoring streak and

Flames, Blackhawks try to build some late-season success

Losing three straight games and six of eight has dealt a significant blow to the Calgary Flames’ bid for a Western Conference playoff spot. With 12 games remaining entering Tuesday’s visit to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames (33-32-5, 71 points) trail three teams vying for the conference’s final wild-card slot. While still mathematically alive in the postseason race, the Flames are becoming equally aware their stretch run may be leading toward an early offseason. The

No. 1 Indiana State duels No. 2 Cincinnati for NIT semifinal berth

Two teams with rich basketball history meet Tuesday night when Indiana State hosts Cincinnati in the NIT quarterfinals in Terre Haute, Ind. The winner advances to the NIT semifinals April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. Indiana State is a current member of the Missouri Valley Conference; Cincinnati won its two national championships in 1961 and ’62 while in that conference. The Sycamores (30-6), the top seed in the

No. 4 Georgia aims for another NIT road surprise at Ohio State

The NIT is a second chance for programs that, for whatever reason, didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. In the case of the Georgia Bulldogs (19-16), they lost four of their final five regular-season games followed by one win in the SEC tournament before being eliminated. But the No. 4 seed Bulldogs’ 72-66 road win Sunday against top seed Wake Forest puts them a game away from reaching the NIT semifinals if they can defeat host

Maple Leafs out to jumpstart offense vs. Devils

The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to regain their scoring touch Tuesday, while the visiting New Jersey Devils hope to build on a shutout performance. The Maple Leafs (40-21-9, 89 points) had scored at least three goals in six successive games before losing 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C. Toronto had defeated the visiting Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Saturday. The Devils (35-33-4, 74 points) defeated the host New York Islanders 4-0 on

Oilers, Jets square off in search of late-season kick

Following extended runs of success, both the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers have hit a snag. The Jets are out to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat Tuesday night against the Oilers, who have dropped two straight. From Feb. 10-March 19, Winnipeg (44-22-5) went 14-5-0. The Jets won three straight, including the first two stops last week – at Columbus and the New York Rangers — on a five-game road trip. But things took a turn

Artemi Panarin eyes 100 points as Rangers meet Flyers

Artemi Panarin is enjoying the best season of his career and is on the verge of reaching a rare milestone for the New York Rangers. Panarin will attempt to reach 100 points for the first time in his career Tuesday night when the Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers. Panarin is attempting to become the first Rangers player with 100 points since Jaromir Jagr set a team record with 123 during the 2005-06 season. Jagr was