Vols ‘just getting started’ after Alabama conquest
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A haze of cigar smoke filled the Tennessee interview room — all of Neyland Stadium, for that matter — and former Volunteers great Alvin Kamara peeked through the curtain as a hoarse Josh Heupel did his best to paint what was another memorable Third Saturday in October.
Tennessee had suffered through 14 straight losses to bitter rival Alabama when Heupel arrived as Tennessee coach in 2021. Now, in his fourth season, the Volunteers have won two of their past three against the Crimson Tide, the latest a 24-17 conquest that saw Tennessee recover from its third straight scoreless first half, finally find some explosive plays in the passing game in the second half and lean on a defense that Heupel called both “elite” and “special” after watching that unit hold an opponent under 20 points for the seventh straight game this season.
“When we got here, I never talked about it because at the end of the day nobody cares. They care what the scoreboard looks like each week,” Heupel said. “There were obstacles as a program we had to navigate and overcome, and as coaching staff, administration and our players, we did it in a pretty special way. Not perfect … and as a program, we’ve got to improve this year.
“But I really do feel like we’re just getting started as a program.”
This game wasn’t a thriller in the same fashion as the 52-49 contest two years ago in Knoxville that ended on a last-second field goal, but the aftermath was similar. Tennessee fans stormed the field, tore down the goalposts and puffed gleefully on victory cigars, a long-standing tradition in a rivalry that dates to 1901.
Kamara joined countless former Tennessee players in the locker room afterward to celebrate, as the No. 11 Volunteers bounced back from a three-turnover first half and took advantage of a No. 7 Crimson Tide team that committed a season-high 15 penalties for 115 yards.
In an SEC race that gets crazier by the week, every win is precious. But even Heupel wasn’t about to downplay what beating Alabama means to everyone on Rocky Top.
“You’re a Vol for Life, that’s not just words,” Heupel said. “For it to be the second time [beating Alabama] … this program, when we walk onto the field, we feel like we’re good enough to go win every Saturday. Does this one matter? Yeah, absolutely. You know the historical nature of this game, what it means to the fan base and inside of our walls and in the new landscape of the league.
“The expectation was to go out and play great football tonight, and we did that defensively for 60 minutes. Offensively, we were on the right side enough and special teams enough.”
Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) has won two in a row since being upset by Arkansas on Oct. 5, including a 23-17 overtime escape last week at home against Florida.
While the first-half offensive doldrums remain a problem, redshirt quarterback Nico Iamaleava showed his mettle in the second half after taking some big hits in the first half, leaving the game for a play and not being able to connect with open receivers on several deep balls.
After a shaky first half, Iamaleava threw a 55-yard strike down the right sideline to Dont’e Thornton Jr., setting up a Dylan Sampson 3-yard touchdown run to put Tennessee ahead 14-10 late in the third quarter.
After Alabama retook the lead at 17-14, Iamaleava threw a 16-yard touchdown to a diving Chris Brazzell II in the back of the end zone on third-and-5 to give the Volunteers the lead for good.
Iamaleava, who had an interception in the first half, also did damage running the ball, including a key 27-yard rush in the third quarter leading to Tennessee’s first touchdown. He said he wasn’t going to let another lackluster first half by the Volunteers on offense beat him down.
“It’s next-play mentality,” Iamaleava said. “Like Coach Heupel preaches, you got to keep battling, keep going strong for our guys, and I’m glad we could get that done.”
It wasn’t over until Will Brooks, an Alabama native and walk-on, intercepted Jalen Milroe inside the final two minutes. Brooks also made what was likely a touchdown-saving tackle in the first quarter when he tripped up Milroe on a third-and-short play.
Brooks’ teammate, linebacker Arion Carter, said it was important to the defense to find a way and “give the offense something to stand on and be able to finish out the game.”
Carter then turned to Brooks and paid homage to the redshirt senior safety.
“Let me just say this: This guy is one of the most unselfish people you’ll ever meet for the team, does his job at an extremely high level and holds everybody accountable,” Carter said. “Just having him beside me and working with each other on the field … I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Tennessee held Alabama (5-2, 2-2) to 75 rushing yards and kept Milroe bottled up all game. He was intercepted twice and finished with 11 rushing yards on 14 carries, including three sacks.
As the Volunteers’ defense continued to clamp down on the Crimson Tide in the second half, the crowd of 101,915 only grew more raucous.
“Oh yeah, it was rocking, especially on those last couple of drives,” Carter said. “It was so loud [Alabama] couldn’t get their pass protection set. Just being able to have a crowd like that screaming and behind you, it’s definitely a great feeling, especially having the confidence to go out there and dominate.”
Sampson, who now has 17 rushing touchdowns on the season, finished with 139 yards on 26 carries. He had 127 of those yards in the second half and punished a tiring Alabama defense.
But at halftime, with the Volunteers scoreless, Sampson said it was the defense that picked up everybody in the locker room.
“Obviously our defense is out there giving us confidence,” Sampson said. “We kind of made it hard on them in the first half, but they’re playing their tails off, no matter who’s in the game, and you respect that.
“That lights a fire, and if it doesn’t, something’s wrong.”
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Saturday’s schedule
Friday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Calgary Flames
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Sunday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers, 1 p.m. (TNT)
Seattle Kraken at Washington Capitals, 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild, 3:30 p.m. (TNT)
Winnipeg Jets at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers, 6 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks, 9 p.m.
New York Islanders at Anaheim Ducks, 9 p.m.
Saturday’s scoreboard
Ottawa Senators 4, New York Rangers 3 (OT)
Seattle Kraken 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1
Boston Bruins 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 0
Florida Panthers 4, Buffalo Sabres 0
Colorado Avalanche 7, Toronto Maple Leafs 4
Calgary Flames 1, Montreal Canadiens 0
Nashville Predators 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (OT)
Los Angeles Kings 2, St. Louis Blues 1 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 5, Dallas Stars 4
New York Islanders 4, San Jose Sharks 2
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 18
Points pace: 106.3
Next game: @ BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 102.8
Next game: @ UTA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 19
Points pace: 101.5
Next game: @ CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 20
Points pace: 91.3
Next game: vs. DET (Monday)
Playoff chances: 85.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 85.9
Next game: @ OTT (Monday)
Playoff chances: 8.3%
Tragic number: 37
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 85.9
Next game: @ VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 19.8%
Tragic number: 37
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 83.3
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.5%
Tragic number: 33
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 71.4
Next game: vs. EDM (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 27
Metro Division
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 19
Points pace: 117.1
Next game: vs. SEA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 101.5
Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 18
Points pace: 92.3
Next game: @ PHI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 86.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 20
Points pace: 89.9
Next game: @ NYR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 27.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 88.5
Next game: vs. CBJ (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 31.1%
Tragic number: 39
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 86.0
Next game: @ LA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 29.7%
Tragic number: 38
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 79.4
Next game: vs. NJ (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 9.5%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 73.1
Next game: @ MIN (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 25
Central Division
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 18
Points pace: 117.9
Next game: @ CAR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 109.3
Next game: @ VAN (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 18
Points pace: 99.9
Next game: vs. CHI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 19
Points pace: 98.9
Next game: vs. PIT (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 94.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 87.1
Next game: @ PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 37.2%
Tragic number: 34
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 85.9
Next game: vs. TOR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 26.4%
Tragic number: 35
Points: 55
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 71.6
Next game: @ SJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 24
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 62.8
Next game: @ COL (Monday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 16
Pacific Division
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 20
Points pace: 108.5
Next game: vs. LA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 101.5
Next game: @ BUF (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.7%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 21
Points pace: 98.1
Next game: @ VGK (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 84.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 91.1
Next game: vs. VAN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 27.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 91.3
Next game: vs. DAL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 30.9%
Tragic number: 40
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 80.7
Next game: vs. NYI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 32
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 74.3
Next game: @ WSH (Sunday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 25
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 54.3
Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 8
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 Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 12
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 55
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
EDMONTON, Alberta — Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz was hit by a puck shot by Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique and left the ice with a towel pressed against his bloody face Saturday night.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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