Archives: Previews

Slow starts have been a recurring theme for the Charlotte Hornets, who have lost three straight following a season-opening victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets will look to reverse the trend when they face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in Indianapolis. Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak with a 121-116 win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in their first game of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Charlotte returns to action for

The New York Red Bulls don’t have much time to rediscover their offense. The Red Bulls were blanked in the series opener and are facing elimination when they entertain top-seeded FC Cincinnati on Saturday night at Harrison, N.J. Cincinnati prevailed 3-0 on Sunday in the first match of the best-of-three series and will be looking to clinch an Eastern Conference semifinal berth. No. 8 seed New York had a 16-9 edge in shots in Game

The high-flying Dallas Stars haven’t skipped a beat from last season as they get set on Saturday to visit the equally-hot Vancouver Canucks, who are making an early case for the NHL’s best Canadian team. The Stars are one of a handful of preseason favorites to challenge for the Stanley Cup, while Vancouver is raising eyebrows for its ability to win consistently on the road. Both teams have 15 points. Dallas is looking for its

The New York Rangers will try to extend their NHL-best winning streak to seven games in a row when they visit the Minnesota Wild on Saturday evening in St. Paul, Minn. New York is coming off a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Rangers have raced to an 8-2-0 start, which represents their second-best start after 10 games in franchise history. Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba credited head coach Peter Laviolette and the

The winning formula for the Seattle Kraken is quite simple: score three or more goals. The Kraken improved to 4-0-0 this season when reaching that mark in a 4-2 victory Thursday against visiting Nashville as Jared McCann scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season and added an assist. The Kraken will put that to the test again when they host the struggling Calgary Flames on Saturday night. The Flames dropped a 4-3 decision Wednesday

When the Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road to face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, it will be more than just another game for Erik Karlsson. Karlsson will make his return to the city where he spent five seasons, among them the 101-point campaign for which he captured the Norris Trophy last season as the league’s best defenseman. “I got a lot of good memories there,” said Karlsson, who was traded to the Penguins in

Thanks to the schedule makers, the Chicago Blackhawks’ most lopsided loss of the early season has lingered through the work week. Saturday’s visit from the Florida Panthers comes five days after Monday’s 8-1 drubbing at Arizona that saw the Coyotes storm to eight unanswered goals after Chicago rookie Connor Bedard scored 28 seconds into the game. “In a weird way, I’m glad we get to chew on this one,” Chicago forward Nick Foligno said. “This

The first meeting between teams one season after a playoff clash often provides an opportunity to reignite some old feuds. But on Saturday night, the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will be far more concerned with finding a spark on offense and staying out of the penalty box than revisiting the results of their Eastern Conference first-round series last spring. The Metropolitan Division rivals will meet for the first time in more than six

The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to make it two straight wins when they visit the Capitals in Washington on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets snapped a four-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Columbus fell behind 2-1 in the second period against the Lightning but responded with three unanswered in the third to win for the first time since Oct. 21. “To come back the way we did

The Edmonton Oilers are searching for any positives they can find heading into their matchup against the visiting Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon. After reaching the Western Conference finals last spring and entering this fall full of optimism they could take it all the way, the Oilers have lost seven of their first nine games (2-6-1). “It’s not the start anybody wanted. There’s lots of expectations on this group,” Edmonton forward Sam Gagner said after