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The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup three times in the Sidney Crosby era, but the golden days may be behind them. Pittsburgh has gone five straight years without winning a playoff series and missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2005-06. The Penguins reside in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division as they visit the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla. They have lost three straight and eight

The Washington Capitals will look to rediscover their winning ways on Thursday night when they host the Dallas Stars. The Capitals concluded a five-game trip with a 4-1 setback to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday and a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Washington finished the trek with a 2-3-0 record, including a 2-1 loss to the struggling San Jose Sharks on Nov. 27. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was a healthy scratch against

The host Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes will look to halt modest two-game losing streaks at the other’s expense when they meet on Thursday night. Moreover, both squads are coming off one-sided setbacks. The Flames will resume a six-game homestand after Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat to the Minnesota Wild, a clash in which Calgary surrendered the first goal for the seventh consecutive outing and 13th time in 15 games. “We have to get better with

Nothing has come easy for No. 16 Kentucky this season. The Wildcats (6-2) needed overtime to defeat Saint Joseph’s 96-88 on Nov. 20. Then came a maddening 80-73 home loss to UNC Wilmington last Saturday. Kentucky’s first opportunity to avenge that loss will come Saturday afternoon against Pennsylvania in a game which will be played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Reed Sheppard led the Wildcats with 25 points and Antonio Reeves added 14

Fifth-ranked UConn will play the first of its two remaining non-conference games when it meets visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday afternoon in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies (8-1) will play No. 7 Gonzaga in Seattle on Dec. 15 before they enter the Big East portion of their schedule. UConn bounced back from a 69-65 loss to Kansas last Friday by defeating No. 9 North Carolina 87-76 on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic. “We got everything

Holy Cross is off to a rough start as it seeks its first winning season since 2013-14. The quest won’t get any easier Friday night when the Crusaders (2-7) try to snap a three-game losing streak in a nonconference road game against Boston College (6-3) in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “I’m excited to see these guys grow,” first-year Holy Cross coach Dave Paulsen said. “We want to win every time we play — make no mistake

The Philadelphia 76ers will hope to ride the momentum of Joel Embiid’s 50-point performance into their game against the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Embiid, who missed the previous two games due to illness, racked up the sixth 50-point game of his career despite not feeling 100 percent in a 131-126 road win against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. “Man, my chest was hurting,” said Embiid, who added 13 rebounds and seven assists. “I was

The Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets have a lot in common. And that isn’t necessarily good. At least one of the struggling teams will come away with a victory when they meet Friday night in Charlotte, N.C. Both teams lost Wednesday night, each for the fourth time in five games. The Raptors dropped a 112-103 decision to the visiting Miami Heat. Charlotte went on the road and endured a 111-100 setback to the Chicago Bulls.

Saturday marks the 124th clash between Army and Navy and a preview of a budding conference rivalry. Army is slated to join Navy in the American Athletic Conference next season, shedding its independent status. “I just thought it was the right move for Army football at this time,” Black Knights coach Jeff Monken said. “Navy has proven a service academy can be competitive in the AAC.” The Black Knights and Midshipmen will meet at Gillette

Earlier this season, a December date for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns was viewed as a matchup of two of the NFL’s top young quarterbacks. Instead, a battle of backup quarterbacks is likely in Cleveland on Sunday. Last month, Cleveland starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was placed on injured reserve and was declared out for the season with a broken bone in his throwing shoulder. Joe Flacco, the fourth starter at the position for Cleveland