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The Dallas Stars host the Boston Bruins in a Monday night clash of early-season NHL heavyweights who are looking to shake off tough weekend losses. Boston let an early 2-0 lead slip away for the second straight game and later surrendered three third-period goals in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Detroit, its first regulation setback of the season. “If you want to be a playoff team, you have to be good down the stretch and find

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be out to improve their defense and end a four-game losing streak when they meet the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning Monday night. The Maple Leafs opened a five-game homestand with a 6-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Saturday despite a hat trick by Auston Matthews. Mitchell Marner added a goal and three assists. The Lightning, meanwhile, did not waste a hat trick by Brayden Point Saturday when they defeated the

When the Columbus Blue Jackets visit the Florida Panthers on Monday night in Sunrise, Fla., it will be a battle of teams looking for an offensive boost. Columbus has lost five of its past six games, including a 2-1 defeat at the Washington Capitals on Saturday. In that game, Columbus went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. For the season, the Blue Jackets rank 26th in power-play percentage (12.8). First-year head coach Pascal Vincent is optimistic,

Revived under new head coach Greg Cronin, the Anaheim Ducks will be put to the test Sunday night when they host the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Cronin was begging for some selfishness from his forwards early in the season, saying they seemed more interested in making the perfect pass. While imploring for more shots, he was really interested in his scorers taking shots as soon as those shots presented themselves. After a

Sunday night’s game between the Chicago Blackhawks and visiting New Jersey Devils initially shaped up as a matchup of two of the past five top overall picks in the NHL draft. An upper-body injury to New Jersey star forward Jack Hughes, however, figures to shine more of the spotlight on Chicago’s Connor Bedard, the No. 1 selection in 2023. Hughes’ status remained uncertain after he left during the first period of Friday’s 4-1 loss at

UCLA will open its final season before joining the Big Ten Conference when the Bruins welcome non-conference opponent St. Francis (Pa.) to Los Angeles on Monday night. The Bruins posted a 31-6 record overall and an 18-2 mark in the Pac-12 Conference a season ago and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They underwent more offseason roster changes than any previous campaign in head coach Mick Cronin’s tenure, however. UCLA replaces All-American Jaime

Washington State welcomes nine newcomers this season, including one player from Idaho, which will play at Pullman, Wash., on Monday night in the Battle of the Palouse. The two schools, separated by eight miles, took a season off in their longstanding rivalry last season. They will meet for the 278th time, with Washington State leading the series 167-110. Isaac Jones, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, averaged 19.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game last season for

Eastern Washington’s arduous non-conference schedule — which includes trips to Ole Miss and Cincinnati as well as contests against five Pac-12 teams — will begin Monday night vs. Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utes posted a 17-15 overall record and a 10-10 Pac-12 mark last season in Craig Smith’s second year as their head coach. That was an improvement from an 11-20, 4-16 record in his first campaign. Two-time All-Pac-12 center Branden Carlson is

The Chris Beard era begins Monday night in Oxford, Miss., and likely will be defined early on by defense. The 50-year-old former Texas and Texas Tech coach and his Rebels, who host Alabama State Monday night, added transfer Jamarion Sharp and is awaiting the NCAA’s decision on two others on the squad — Brandon Murray and Moussa Cisse. A pairing of the 7-foot-5 Sharp, who arrives from Western Kentucky, and 7-footer Cisse (Oklahoma State, Memphis)

The James Harden Show returns to New York on Monday night. But the New York Knicks are more concerned with ensuring they are more than the Jalen Brunson Show. Harden will make his 2023-24 debut Monday, when he and the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Knicks in the first clash of the season between the teams. The Clippers have been off since Wednesday, when they fell to the host Los Angeles Lakers 130-125 in overtime.