Archives: Previews

The Arizona Coyotes won’t have long to dwell on their Wednesday loss to the Anaheim Ducks, as they return home to face the Montreal Canadiens in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday. Two teams that entered the season with lesser expectations, the Coyotes and Canadiens have strung together competitive campaigns so far. They sit on nine and 12 points, good for third and fourth in the Central and Atlantic Divisions, respectively. For the Canadiens, coming off a

Stringing together wins on the young season has not been easy for the Edmonton Oilers. The same can’t be said for the surging Dallas Stars. Looking to build on just their second victory, the Oilers try to cool off the visiting Stars on Thursday night. To say Edmonton’s 2-5-1 start is a major disappointment would be a severe understatement. The Oilers have been outscored 32-22 overall and totaled just five goals while going 0-2-1 on

The Utah Jazz used a near-historic first half to snap out of a funk and get back into the win column Wednesday night. Utah will be hard-pressed to match its first-half production in the blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies when the Orlando Magic visit Salt Lake City on Thursday night. It will be a rare home back-to-back for the Jazz, who had lost two in a row before their 133-109 victory on Wednesday. Against

The New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 22-point deficit to win Wednesday night. The Detroit Pistons lost despite holding an 18-point lead Wednesday night. Both teams will complete back-to-back sets when the Pelicans host the Pistons on Thursday night. CJ McCollum scored 29 points to lead New Orleans’ comeback in a 110-106 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He made 10 of 17 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 8 3-point attempts, and added 11 rebounds

The new-look Philadelphia 76ers will host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday in their first game since trading away James Harden. The Sixers sent Harden, Filip Petrusev and P.J. Tucker to the Los Angeles Clippers in a complicated three-team deal that also included the Oklahoma City Thunder. Philadelphia acquired Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Marcus Morris Sr. from the Clippers. The trade, officially announced Wednesday after news broke late Monday night, also involved

The Chicago Bears won’t be getting Justin Fields back this week. Montez Sweat is arriving, and running backs coach David Walker is moving on. It has been a tough week and turbulent first two months of the season for the Bears (2-6) as they prepare to visit the New Orleans Saints Sunday. “We really feel we’re turning the corner,” head coach Matt Eberflus said, noting that both wins have come in the last four games.

Although they may have found their quarterback of the future, the Washington Commanders are still very much in the process of rebuilding. After shipping out their top two pass rushers at the trade deadline, the Commanders will begin a somewhat new era on Sunday when they travel to Foxborough, Mass., to face the New England Patriots. Washington (3-5) was a seller on Tuesday, dealing Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 second-round pick

As the 4-3 Cleveland Browns prepare to host the 1-7 Arizona Cardinals Sunday, both coaching staffs are preparing, not knowing who the other team’s starting quarterback will be. Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson was limited in practice Wednesday, and he has missed three full games while leaving a game against the Colts late in the first quarter because of a rotator cuff injury. The Browns are 2-2 in those four games, and he was credited with the

After losing their team leader to injury, the Minnesota Vikings will turn to a rookie quarterback when they visit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota (4-4) faces its first game since Kirk Cousins went down late in last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers. Cousins quickly was diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon, ending his season. Jaren Hall, a rookie fifth-round pick out of BYU, stepped in for Cousins and completed 3

The Washington Capitals aim to win their fourth straight game on Thursday when they host the New York Islanders. The Capitals began their winning streak with a 6-4 victory in New Jersey before capturing the first two contests of their five-game homestand. Washington followed up a 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild last Friday with a 3-1 victory over the winless San Jose Sharks on Sunday. “It hasn’t been easy, certainly,” Capitals coach Spencer