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After Thursday night’s 15-game festival, 1,310 games have been played in the 2022-23 NHL regular season. But two more remain on Friday: one to determine the Central Division title and one to finalize the draft lottery position of two non-playoff teams.

Let’s dive into the implications of each of tonight’s games:

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m. (NHL Power Play on ESPN+): An overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday brought the Blue Jackets out of the NHL’s basement, which means they no longer have the best draft lottery odds. Currently, they are a regulation-wins tiebreaker behind the Chicago Blackhawks in the standings, meaning they have the second-highest odds, behind the Anaheim Ducks. Moreover, they are one standings point behind the San Jose Sharks. A regulation win would drop them to fourth in the lottery standings, an overtime or shootout loss would put them third, and a regulation loss would keep them second. As for the Sabres, they are locked in to the No. 13 slot in the lottery, as they will remain below the Penguins in the standings no matter the result, due to the regulation-wins tiebreaker (and thus they’ll stay above the Pens in the lottery standings).

Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. (NHL Power Play on ESPN+): It’s a simple scenario for the Avs: A win of any kind earns them the Central Division’s No. 1 seed and a first-round matchup against the Seattle Kraken. Any other result keeps them in the No. 2 spot, earning them a series against the Minnesota Wild. The Dallas Stars are currently a point ahead and will occupy whichever spot the Avs don’t take. For Nashville, a regulation win gives them the most points among non-playoff teams, which means they’ll have the No. 16 slot in the draft lottery. Any other result keeps them 15th in the lottery standings, with the Calgary Flames remaining 16th.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Florida Panthers
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 New York Islanders
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Colorado Avalanche vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings


Friday’s games

Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.


Thursday’s scoreboard

Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Boston Bruins 5, Montreal Canadiens 4
New Jersey Devils 5, Washington Capitals 4 (OT)
Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (OT)
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, New York Rangers 2
Buffalo Sabres 4, Ottawa Senators 3 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 6, Florida Panthers 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Detroit Red Wings 0
Colorado Avalanche 4, Winnipeg Jets 2
Dallas Stars 1, St. Louis Blues 0
Nashville Predators 4, Minnesota Wild 3 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 5, Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 5, San Jose Sharks 2
Los Angeles Kings 5, Anaheim Ducks 3
Vancouver Canucks 5, Arizona Coyotes 4 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Seattle Kraken 1


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 135
Regulation wins: 54
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 135
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 111
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 0
Points pace: 111
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 0
Points pace: 98
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 0
Points pace: 92
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ CBJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 86
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 80
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 68
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Metropolitan Division

Points: 113
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 113
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 112
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 0
Points pace: 112
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 0
Points pace: 107
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 93
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 91
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 80
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 75
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 60
Next game: vs. BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 108
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 108
Next game: @ NSH (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 0
Points pace: 103
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 95
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 0
Points pace: 95
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 93
Next game: vs. COL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 81
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 70
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 59
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 111
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 111
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 109
Regulation wins: 45
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 0
Points pace: 109
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 0
Points pace: 104
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 0
Points pace: 100
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 93
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 83
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 60
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 0
Points pace: 58
Next game: None
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

P — Clinched Presidents’ Trophy; Y — Clinched division; X — Clinched playoff berth; E — Eliminated from playoff contention


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Connor Bedard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 13

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 16

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 31

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 29

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 29

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31

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Volpe toss hits Judge as sloppy Yanks fall again

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Volpe toss hits Judge as sloppy Yanks fall again

NEW YORK — A blunder that typifies the current state of the New York Yankees, who find themselves in the midst of their second six-game losing streak in three weeks, happened in front of 41,401 fans at Citi Field on Saturday, and almost nobody noticed.

The Yankees were jogging off the field after securing the third out of the fourth inning of their 12-6 loss to the Mets when shortstop Anthony Volpe, as is standard for teams across baseball at the end of innings, threw the ball to right fielder Aaron Judge as he crossed into the infield from right field.

Only Judge wasn’t looking, and the ball nailed him in the head, knocking his sunglasses off and leaving a small cut near his right eye. The wound required a bandage to stop the bleeding, but Judge stayed in the game.

“Confusion,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I didn’t know what happened initially. [It just] felt like something happened. Of course I was a little concerned.”

Avoiding an injury to the best player in baseball was on the Yankees’ very short list of positives in another sloppy, draining defeat to their crosstown rivals. With the loss, the Yankees, who held a three-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings entering June 30, find themselves tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for second place three games behind the Blue Jays heading into Sunday’s Subway Series finale.

The nosedive has been fueled by messy defense and a depleted pitching staff that has encountered a wall.

“It’s been a terrible week,” said Boone, who before the game announced starter Clarke Schmidt will likely undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

For the second straight day, the Mets capitalized on mistakes and cracked timely home runs. After slugging three homers in Friday’s series opener, the Mets hit three more Saturday — a grand slam in the first inning from Brandon Nimmo to take a 4-0 lead and two home runs from Pete Alonso to widen the gap.

Nimmo’s blast — his second grand slam in four days — came after Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez misplayed a ball hit by the Mets’ leadoff hitter in the first inning. On Friday, he misread Nimmo’s line drive and watched it sail over his head for a double. On Saturday, he was slow to react to Starling Marte’s flyball in the left-center field gap and braked without catching or stopping it, allowing Marte to advance to second for a double. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon then walked two batters to load the bases for Nimmo, who yanked a mistake, a 1-2 slider over the wall.

“That slider probably needs to be down,” said Rodon, who allowed seven runs (six earned) over five innings. “A lot of misses today and they punished them.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s throwing woes at third base — a position the Yankees have asked him to play to accommodate DJ LeMahieu at second base — continued in the second inning when he fielded Tyrone Taylor’s groundball and sailed a toss over first baseman Cody Bellinger’s head. Taylor was given second base and scored moments later on Marte’s RBI single.

The Yankees were charged with their second error in the Mets’ four-run seventh inning when center fielder Trent Grisham charged Francisco Lindor’s single up the middle and had it bounce off the heel of his glove.

The mistake allowed a run to score from second base without a throw, extending the Mets lead back to three runs after the Yankees had chipped their deficit, and allowed a heads-up Lindor to advance to second base. Lindor later scored on Alonso’s second home run, a three-run blast off left-hander Jayvien Sandridge in the pitcher’s major league debut.

“Just got to play better,” Judge said. “That’s what it comes down to. It’s fundamentals. Making a routine play, routine. It’s just the little things. That’s what it kind of comes down to. But every good team goes through a couple bumps in the road.”

This six-game losing skid has looked very different from the Yankees’ first. That rough patch, consisting of losses to the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, was propelled by offensive troubles. The Yankees scored six runs in the six games and gave up just 16. This time, run prevention is the issue; the Yankees have scored 34 runs and surrendered 54 in four games against the Blue Jays in Toronto and two in Queens.

“The offense is starting to swing the bat, put some runs on the board,” Boone said. “The pitching, which has kind of carried us a lot this season, has really, really struggled this week. We haven’t caught the ball as well as I think we should.

“So, look, when you live it and you’re going through it, it sucks, it hurts. But you got to be able to handle it. You got to be able to deal with it. You got to be able to weather it and come out of this and grow.”

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.

Jenks, 44, who had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, this year, spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and also played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. The reliever finished his major league career with a 16-20 record, 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”

After Jenks moved to Portugal last year, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. That eventually spread into blood clots in his lungs, prompting further testing. He was later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and began undergoing radiation.

In February, as Jenks was being treated for the illness, the White Sox posted “We stand with you, Bobby” on Instagram, adding in the post that the club was “thinking of Bobby as he is being treated.”

In 2005, as the White Sox ended an 88-year drought en route to the World Series title, Jenks appeared in six postseason games. Chicago went 11-1 in the playoffs, and he earned saves in series-clinching wins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Boston, and Game 4 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

In 2006, Jenks saved 41 games, and the following year, he posted 40 saves. He also retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”

A native of Mission Hills, California, Jenks appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox and was originally drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.

Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, digging for options to bolster their infield, have signed third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the affiliate announced Saturday.

Candelario, 31, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on June 23, halfway through a three-year, $45 million contract he signed before the start of last season. The decision was made after Candelario posted a .707 OPS in 2024 and batted .113 with a .410 OPS in 22 games for the Reds before going on the injured list in April with a back injury.

The performance was poor enough for Cincinnati to cut him in a move that Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall described as a sunk cost.

For the Yankees, signing Candelario is a low-cost flier on a player who recorded an .807 OPS just two seasons ago as they seek to find a third baseman to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, his natural position.

Candelario is the second veteran infielder the Yankees have signed to a minor league contract in the past three days; they agreed to terms with Nicky Lopez on Thursday.

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