Quinn Hughes continues to be the driving force behind the Vancouver Canucks, keeping them in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Hughes has been on fire lately, registering five goals and two assists in his past five games. His impact was on full display Saturday night when he scored both goals in Vancouver’s 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals, snapping the Canucks’ two-game losing streak. “You don’t want to call a game in January a must-win, but we needed this one,” Canucks forward Connor Garland said. “(Hughes) just finds a way to bring his best.” Goaltender Kevin Lankinen, who previously played against Hughes while with Chicago and Nashville, is thrilled to be on the same side now. The

The New Jersey Devils are dealing with significant injury concerns as they prepare to visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. One game after losing starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom to an MCL strain, the Devils saw team captain Nico Hischier exit early in the third period of their 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. New Jersey did not practice on Sunday, leaving Hischier’s availability for the Flyers game unknown. Hischier leads New Jersey with 24 goals, making his potential absence a major concern for the Devils. Adding to New Jersey’s injury troubles, leading scorer Jack Hughes (57 points) is also playing at less than 100 percent, according to Keefe. Despite these setbacks, the Devils have responded well,

The stage is set for a pivotal Big 12 matchup as No. 3 Iowa State takes on Arizona in Tucson on Monday night. Both teams enter the game on a hot streak, with the Cyclones riding a dominant second-half performance in their latest victory and Arizona surging after a slow start to the season. This showdown marks the first meeting between Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd since both became head coaches in 2021-22. Lloyd recently reached a career milestone, tying his former mentor, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, for the fastest to 100 wins among active coaches, achieving the feat in just 126 games. Meanwhile, Otzelberger continues to build a powerhouse at Iowa State, boasting an 87-37 record with

The historic rivalry between UCLA and USC takes on a new dimension Monday as the two programs meet for the first time as Big Ten Conference foes. Both teams enter the matchup with momentum, setting the stage for an intense clash at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. UCLA (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) has turned things around after enduring a four-game losing streak. The Bruins come into Monday’s game riding a three-game winning streak, including a thrilling 85-83 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin and a hard-fought 65-60 win at Washington. Key to UCLA’s resurgence has been the play of big man Aday Mara, who has emerged as a force off the bench. After posting a career-high 22 points against Wisconsin,