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The Boston Bruins have tied the NHL’s single-season record with 62 wins, joining the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Bruins matched the milestone on Saturday night when Pavel Zacha scored two first period goals to propel them to a 2-1 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils.

Now the Bruins — who have already wrapped up the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage through the Stanley Cup playoffs — have three games remaining in the regular season to become the first team in NHL history to reach 63 wins. Boston plays Philadelphia, Washington and Montreal, all non-playoff teams, before their regular season wraps on April 13.

Consistently throughout the season, Bruins players have said that the NHL’s single-season wins record didn’t mean much to them, as the only thing they are chasing is a Stanley Cup. However coach Jim Montgomery told ESPN last week that once the record became within reach, he underscored to his team how incredible an accomplishment it would be to do something no team had done in the 100-plus year history of the league.

The Bruins have led the NHL all season, which was surprising since expectations were tempered following a first-round playoff exit to Carolina last spring. Boston began the season with two of its biggest stars, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and winger Brad Marchand, on injured reserve. The Bruins also underwent a coaching change, turning to Montgomery after six seasons of Bruce Cassidy.

But Boston has been one of the most complete teams in the league, regularly rolling four lines and getting standout goaltending from Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins added reinforcements at the trade deadline, acquiring Dmitri Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from Washington and Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit. Boston has also been boosted by a career-year from star winger David Pastrnak, whose 57 goals trail only Connor McDavid for the league lead. Pastrnak signed an eight-year, $90 million extension in March.

The Bruins have rallied around winning one more Stanley Cup fort their captain, 37-year-old Patrice Bergeron, who opted to come back on a one-year deal this season instead of retiring.

Boston has been Cup favorites at Caesars Sportsbook since the middle of December. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Bruins are the fourth in the NHLs modern era to sit atop its division standings for the entire season, joining the 2008-09 Sharks, 1984-85 Oilers and 1977-78 Canadiens. The Oilers and Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup in those respective years; the Sharks lost in the opening round.

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Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

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Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against No. 11 USC with an undisclosed injury.

Loveland suffered an apparent shoulder injury in last weekend’s win over Arkansas State. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore hasn’t specified the nature of the injury.

A preseason All-American, Loveland leads the Wolverines with 19 catches for 187 yards; no other Michigan pass catcher has more than nine receptions.

The No. 18 Wolverines also changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Alex Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend. He threw two picks in a 31-12 loss to Texas on Sept. 7.

Orji has only seven career passing attempts but has rushed for 58 yards in a relief role this season.

Moore said this week that he wants to see Orji “take the reins” of the Michigan offense with his opportunity.

“Excited for him,” Moore said. “I know he’s chomping at the bit.”

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Sources: Nats demote All-Star after all-nighter

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Sources: Nats demote All-Star after all-nighter

The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.

Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.

Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.

Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.

Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.

“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”

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Sources: Utah QB Rising (hand) game-time call

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Sources: Utah QB Rising (hand) game-time call

Utah quarterback Cam Rising is a game-time decision with an injury to his throwing hand, sources told ESPN, with the expectation that he will attempt to start.

No. 12 Utah plays at No. 14 Oklahoma State on Saturday, one of the biggest games of the season in the Big 12.

Rising has been limited in practice this week with the injury, and he is not expected to be 100% if he does play. He will be monitored closely to see how his injured fingers impact how he throws. The fingers play a huge role in both spin and velocity, which will impact his effectiveness in the passing game.

He injured his hand Sept. 7 against Baylor in the second quarter when he threw a ball away and was pushed out of bounds and landed awkwardly on the water coolers on the Bears sideline.

Rising warmed up with a glove on his hand before last week’s game against Utah State but did not play, and he was spotted with two fingers wrapped on the sideline against Baylor. It’s uncertain if he will use the glove on Saturday.

Utah’s offense plays a majority of its snaps under center and uses clapping as a mechanism in its snapping operation, which would both stress the fingers.

Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson is a true freshman who made his first career start against Utah State, going 20-of-33 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He took first-team reps in practice this week when Rising wasn’t out there.

Wilson is the brother of former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who now plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.

Rising is a seventh-year senior who had emerged as one of the Pac-12’s top quarterbacks in 2021 and 2022. He has been snakebit by injuries in recent seasons, as an injury in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season ultimately led to him missing the entire 2023 season.

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