NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Stadium Series with Hurricanes and Capitals tonight; McDavid, Oilers battled Rangers at MSG; plus more

Members of the Carolina Hurricanes tune up during the morning skate on Fri Feb 17, 2023 before their meeting with the Washington Capitals in the outdoor Stadium Series in Raleigh NC at Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh. (photo by the nhl.com)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Matt, tonight’s the big night as the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes match up for the NHL Stadium Series at Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh this Sat Feb 18th. Everyone in Raleigh has been counting the days for this one and it’s the first outdoor game against the Capitals for the Hurricanes.

#2 Edmonton Oilers faced off with the New York Rangers on Friday night at Rogers Center in Edmonton. It was a game where Oilers superstar Conner McDavid needed just one more point to hit his 100th point of the season getting his 100th and 101st points. Things are going well for the Oilers they have won six of the last 11 games.

#3 Matt, wanted to go over some of the players who are up for grabs as the NHL trade deadline Fri Mar 3 is approaching. We’ll start with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks would be a huge help on any NHL line. Kane has a no movement clause in his contract and would have to approve any deal. Kane has scored at least 20 goals 14 times during his 16 year NHL career.

#4 The Blackhawks Jonathan Toews is a 34 year center and his skills have declined is his last three seasons but has 370 career goals to his repertoire and has played over 1,000 games in his NHL career. Matt, if the Blackhawks can deal him do you see Toews being a big help for a club?

#5 The San Jose Sharks Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson’s names have circulated for trade rumors. Meier can light the lamp and has scored at least 30 goals in each of his last three seasons. Karlsson leads all NHL defencemen in goals. If the Sharks deal him they would have to take on some of his salary cap Karlsson gets $11.5 million a season and first right of refusal on any deal.

Join Matt for the NHL podcast Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 3 Cardinal women survive late scare from USC in 50-47 win

Southern California guard Kayla Williams, left, tries to drive to the basket while defended by Stanford guard Indya Nivar during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Feb 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, February 17, 2023

No. 3 Stanford held off a late challenge from visiting Southern California Friday, as the Cardinal emerged with a 50-47 Pac-12 women’s basketball win over the No. 25 Trojans at Maples Pavilion.

Cameron Brink paced the Cardinal (25-3 overall, 13-2 Pac-12) with 12 points, ten rebounds and six blocked shots, Indya Nivar and Kiki Iriafen each scored nine points, and Haley Jones had eight points, ten rebounds and five assists.

USC (19-7 overall, 9-6 Pac-12) was led by Destiny Littleton with 15 points, followed by Okako Adika with 13 points and nine rebounds. Clarice Akunwafo finished with 12 rebounds.

Stanford led by one point after the first quarter and built a 32-26 halftime lead. The Cardinal led 40-29 at 7:55 of the third quarter on Hannah Jump’s 3-pointer. After Brink hit a pair of free throws at 8:05 of the fourth, the Trojans went on an 10-2 run capped by Okako Adika’s two free throws at 2:42, and her 20-foot jumper pulled USC to within 48-45 with 1:43 remaining.

Brink’s layup at 1:09 of the fourth quarter put the Cardinal up 50-45. Stanford’s Talana Lepolo committed a shooting foul with 37 seconds left, sending Littleton to the line. Littleton made both free throws, cutting the Stanford lead to 50-47.

USC had one more possession with three seconds remaining. Littleton missed a 23-foot 3-point attempt with one second left, and Nivar grabbed the defensive rebound to secure the win.

Attendance for this Top 25 matchup was 6,343. The Cardinal host UCLA on Monday.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal try to come away from road trip with a win at USC Saturday

UCLA Bruins guard Jaylen Clark (0) spends a little hang time on the rim after throwing down against the Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Thu Feb 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a game-high 26 points for the UCLA Bruins (23-4) Thursday, as the No. 4 Bruins overcame a halftime deficit and defeated the Stanford Cardinal (11-16) 73-64 in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Pauley Pavilion.

#2 Earlier this season, the Bruins defeated Stanford 80-66. It was UCLA’s fifth straight win.

#3 Jaquez also grabbed nine rebounds and had three assists. Jaylen Clark was next for the Bruins with 16 points, three steals and six boards. 

#4 The Bruins surged ahead with an 16-4 run to open the second half, but Stanford responded with a 14-2 run to regain the lead at 50-45.

#5 Stanford prepares for USC (19-8) on Saturday night another tough customer coming off the tough loss to UCLA how much of a push will the Cardinal need to get past USC tomorrow night?

Join Daniel for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox and Sabonis look forward to representing Kings at All Star game

Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left) and De’Aaron Fox (right) will represent the Kings at the NBA All Star Game this weekend on Sun Feb 19, 2023 in Florida (photo from NBC Sports Northern California)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the first half of the season ended for the Sacramento Kings (32-25) not so well in Phoenix as the Kings were defeated rather handedly by the Phoenix Suns (32-27) at Footprint Arena on Tuesday night.

#2 The Kings by and large did get some high scoring by De’Aaron Fox with 35 points and Domantas Sabonis with 24 points but it wasn’t enough to win the game for the Kings.

#3 The key part of the Suns victory was they kept the Kings from scoring by some double teaming and strangling the paint the Kings for some crucial parts of the game got their inside game shutdown.

#4 On defense for the Kings couldn’t plug up the hole for the Suns Devon Booker 32 points and Deandre Ayton with 29 points.

#5 Fox and Sabonis are representing the Kings at the NBA All Star game this Sunday Feb 19th talk about the season they’ve both been having and what you look forward to see them doing this weekend at the NBA All Star game.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 4 Bruins hold off stubborn Stanford 73-64

Stanford forward Harrison Ingram dunks next to UCLA guard Jaylen Clark, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 73-64. (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, February 12, 2023

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a game-high 26 points for UCLA Thursday, as the No. 4 Bruins overcame a halftime deficit and defeated Stanford 73-64 in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Pauley Pavilion.

Earlier this season, the Bruins defeated Stanford 80-66. It was UCLA’s fifth straight win.

Jaquez also grabbed nine rebounds and had three assists. Jaylen Clark was next for the Bruins with 16 points, three steals and six boards. Adem Bona and David Singleton each added eight points for UCLA (22-4 overall, 13-2 Pac-12).

Michael Jones led the Cardinal (11-15 overall, 5-10 Pac-12) with 15 points, followed by Harrison Ingram with 13 points and Maxime Raynaud with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Michael O’Connell had five assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Ingram finished with six rebounds and five assists.

Spencer Jones, the Cardinal’s top scorer at 13.7 points per game, was held to six.

Stanford hit six of their first seven shots to start the game. UCLA took its first lead at 16-15 at 11:35 of the first half, but the Cardinal responded with a 9-0 run and led 31-27 at halftime.

The Bruins surged ahead with an 16-4 run to open the second half, but Stanford responded with a 14-2 run to regain the lead at 50-45. A dunk by Clark put UCLA ahead to stay at 58-57, but after a three-minute scoring drought, ingram hit a jumper to make it a one-point game with 4:59 remaining,

Will McClendon hit a 3-pointer with 3:39 remaining, extending the Bruins’ lead to 63-59. A parade to the free throw line, sinking eight foul shots, allowed the Bruins to build their permanent lead.

Stanford travels to Southern California on Saturday.

Sharks Fold Late in Sin City, Slip to Vegas 2-1

San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) attempts to skate around Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud (2) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

Thursday night’s 2-1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena could be representative of the San Jose Sharks season as a whole. Get severly outshot but still hold the lead for a time; check. Punch up against a superior class team for a majority of the game; check.

The Sharks lead into the third period but give up the advantage late; check. The only thing missing for San Jose (17-28-11) was an Erik Karlsson point or two (or three or four as this season has gone).

Alexander Barabanov scored his tenth goal of the year and Kaapo Kähkönen played brilliantly once again, making 36 saves on 38 shots but a Vegas (33-18-4) goal tied the game early in the third period and finished off the Sharks on a William Carrier goal with 18 seconds left in regulation to pick up their fourth consecutive win.

The Sharks were outshot 38-26, thanks largely to seven Golden Knights power plays, but killed off all the opportunities and survived a 14-4 first period shot differential to lead the Pacific Division leaders after 40 minutes.

The game-winner came on an offensive faceoff win for the Golden Knights and was a result of Matt Benning and Nick Bonino both getting tied up with Nicolas Roy in the slot.

Two defenders on one man allowed Carrier to sneak into the far post unmarked. Chandler Stephenson was able to make the connection and Carrier was able to hammer home the tap-in for his 15th of the year. Bonino drew an abuse of officials misconduct for arguing Roy’s entanglement.

Vegas tied the game on another Sharks miscue after Tomas Hertl wiped out in the offensive zone, with Jack Eichel spring Paul Cotter on a two-on-one. He elected to shoot rather than pass through Karlsson, beating Kähkönen from the face-off dot 6:22 into the third. Cotter has goals in three-straight.

Barabanov stayed hot for the Sharks, picking up his eight point in six games when he scores on the rebound with 2:56 left in the second period. His tenth goal of the year came off a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot, with Logan Couture picking up the secondary assist. Kähkönen has allowed just eight goals over his last four starts.

The Sharks return home Saturday night to face the Buffalo Sabres. It kicks off a seven-game homestand filled with teams struggling to make the playoffs or fully entrenched in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, a welcome sight after the grueling road trip of late January and early February.

Stuck In L.A. Traffic: Cal starts slow, runs out of gas in 97-60 loss to USC

By Morris Phillips

The baskets at USC’s Galen Center aren’t usually this big or forgiving.

But the circumstances were aligned on Thursday night as the Trojans were desperate to boost their NCAA Tournament aspirations at the expense of frustrated Cal riding a nine-game losing streak. The hosts took full advantage by shooting 58 percent from the floor in a 97-60 rout of the defenseless Bears.

“We weren’t ready to play defensively,” coach Mark Fox said. “I was certainly disappointed in that.”

Cal fell behind 13-0, trailed 50-23 at the break, and were behind by as many as 40 in the second half. USC poured it on with four double-digit scorers led by Drew Peterson with 30 points.

The Bears might have made do with 60 points scored, which is robust for them, but not with 15 turnovers and allowing the opposition to hit 12 3-pointers. Combined with the painful, slow start, Fox was adamant that his team get the message in order to gain consistency and competitiveness in the long run.

“We have to own our mistakes,” Fox said. “We have to learn from it. We have to grow.”

Cal (3-23, 2-12) was led by Monte Bowser with 13 points. ND Okafor and Kuany Kuany each contributed 11 points. The Bears continue their swing through Los Angeles on Saturday night at UCLA.

Several Pac-12 teams have NCAA Tournament hopes and know that a loss to Cal would be incredibly damaging to their resumes. Cal will get similar treatment from Oregon in two weeks in Berkeley, which makes it more difficult for them to sneak up on a lackadaisical opponent. Beating UCLA, which is hopeful for a No. 1 seed in the West Region could be just as difficult.

How daunting are Cal’s circumstances this weekend? USC is riding a 13-game win streak at the Galen Center after winning Thursday, and UCLA has won all 13 of their games this season at Pauley Pavilion.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Senators say DeBrincat will not be traded; Walsh named NHLPA executive director; plus much more NHL news

Ottawa Senators 25 year old forward is off the table in trade considerations according the Senators GM Pierre Dorion. The Senators plan to negotiate a new deal with Dorion at the end of the season. (photo by nhl.com)

On the NHL podcast with Len:

#1 Alex DeBrincat of the Ottawa Senators will not be traded according to Senators general manager Pierre Dorion “We’ll see what happens before the end of the year and if we sign a contract with him before then. But he’s not getting traded.” said Dorion.

#2 Len, Martin J Walsh was unanimously voted by the NHL Players Association as the new executive director. Walsh succeeds former executive director Donald Fehr who held the position since December 2010. Walsh was the US Labor Secretary prior to joining President Joe Biden’s administration, Walsh also was the former Mayor of Boston and served 16 years in the House of Representatives. He will be the main negotiator for future collective bargaining agreements.

#3 Defenceman Olli Maatta of the Detroit Red Wings has signed a two year six million dollar contract with the Wings. Maatta has 17 points, five goals and 12 assists this season. Maatta who signed a one year $2.5 million deal back in July could have become a free agent after this season.

#4 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin lost his father Mikhail at 71 years old. Ovechkin had been on leave from the Capitals since Tuesday and has asked for privacy for he and his family during this time. It’s never a good time to lose a family member how will this effect Ovechkin when he returns to the Capitals.

#5 The Edmonton Oilers are the club that are hot and heavy in pursuing San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson. The Oilers are willing to part with defenceman Tyson Barrie, left wing Warren Foegele, defenceman Evan Bouchard, the Oilers further are willing to depart in the deal their 2023 NHL first round draft pick and 2024 second round draft pick.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Thursday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Spring Training–Commissioner speaks – A’s open Cactus League

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao walks away from the podium after addressing the media on the firing of Oakland police chief LeRonne Armstrong on Wed Feb 15, 2023 at Oakland City Hall. The Oakland A’s who are seeking funding for the Howard Terminal project is grant money that Thao is trying to identify. (AP News photo)

Spring Training: Commissioner speaks – A’s open Cactus League

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–While in Oakland. the new Mayor of Oakland Sheng Thao is in a middle of a crisis after firing Oakland’s Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong, the tenth Chief of Police in Oakland in the past ten years, in Phoenix, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke at the opening of baseball’s Cactus League media day regarding the A’s situation and the long-running saga of their new ballpark and the go-no-go relocation to Las Vegas.

Rob Manfred says Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has focused on Las Vegas of late as a new home for the franchise. Commissioner Manfred is invested in making sure that 2023 is the decisive year for the A’s to ‘fish or cut bait’ regarding their “parallel” situation.

The Howard Terminal proposal has been stalled by money (government grants that were not approved) as well as concerns for affordable housing, Manfred addressed that situation by saying the A’s and the City of Oakland in the housing issue; “I don’t think they are in agreement on the affordable housing issue,” Manfred said. “The threshold issue right now I think in Oakland is how to handle the funding for the infrastructure.”

After a recent visit to Las Vegas, where the A’s owner was well received by a powerful group of casino magnates, the Governor of Nevada Joe Lombardo said through a spokeswoman that there are “other possibilities, aside from taxing the residents on how to support the A’s economically if they chose to move to Las Vegas.

The Oakland A’s reported to Spring Training in Arizona and in less than a month on March 4 and 5 at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Las Vegas Aviators they will host the Cincinnati Reds The Las Vegas Ballpark is the home for the Las Vegas Aviators the Pacific Coast League Triple A affiliate of the Oakland A’s.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish play by play announcer with Manolo Hernandez Douen on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors end first half with loss to Clippers; Lack of defense plays a big part in loss

Try as they may the Golden State Warriors battled through their contest against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Feb 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors (29-29) took on the Los Angeles Clippers (32-28) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and couldn’t hold on getting beat by ten points 134-124. 

#2 The Clippers took an early lead in the opening quarter 31-23. Los Angeles kept pushing taking a ten-point lead before the Warriors began to turn things around.

#3 They won the second quarter 42-30 and had four players in double digits, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Anthony Lamb all had scored 11 points. Donte DiVincenzo had ten points and the tide of this game had turned in the second quarter. 

#4 The Warriors offense went cold in the fourth quarter. Golden State ran into a fully loaded Clipper team and suffered their 29th loss of the season 134-124.

#5 Next game for the Warriors Thu Feb 23 at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Golden State Warriors podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com