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Deadspin | No. 4 UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. providing boost ahead of Xavier matchup

Deadspin | No. 4 UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. providing boost ahead of Xavier matchup

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Dec 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; UConn Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) drives to the basket in the first half against the Florida Gators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

No. 4 UConn proved a little bit of hydration can go a long way in a Dec. 21 win over DePaul.

The Huskies (12-1, 2-0 Big East) were struggling when junior guard Silas Demary Jr. abruptly had to leave the floor. He came back strong, however, to lead the Huskies to a 72-54 win.

UConn takes the floor again Wednesday when it travels to Cincinnati to take on Xavier (9-4, 1-1) in a Big East matchup.

As it turns out, Demary was just dehydrated. The junior guard finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and only two turnovers.

The Georgia transfer’s performance was key for the Huskies, who were missing leading scorer Solo Ball because of an injured wrist.

“Silas is one of those guys that is like the quarterback on the floor,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “What he has brought to our program’s identity is beyond the numbers. He has changed our whole identity. The soft identity we had as a defensive team … he changed all that for us.

“His approach is real smart,” Hurley continued. “We need him to be more assertive and more aggressive, but with Solo out, we needed him to create more scoring opportunities.”

Ball, who is averaging 15.4 points per game, will play against Xavier, Hurley said on Monday.

Demary is averaging nine points and 4.7 rebounds and leads the Huskies with 75 total assists in 13 games.

Senior forward Alex Karaban had a game-high 21 points against DePaul and averages 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season.

Tarris Reed Jr. had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds against DePaul. The senior center averages 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Reed and freshman center Eric Reibe share the team lead with 18 blocks each. Karaban has blocked 14 shots.

Xavier is coming off an 80-77 road win over Georgetown on Dec. 20 when the Musketeers won despite a huge disadvantage at the free-throw line.

The Hoyas made 25 of 43 free throws, while the Musketeers took only 14 foul shots, making 11.

“I tell my team all the time that you can’t win in this league if you don’t win the toughness battle,” Xavier coach Richard Pitino said. “We don’t force the refs to call fouls. You have to force the refs to make a decision by being aggressive.”

It was the Musketeers’ fourth win by five points or less.

“When you really value the ball, you win games like that,” Pitino said. “They have a calmness to them and they just seem to find a way to make a big shot down the stretch.”

Senior forward Tre Carroll, who transferred after playing three seasons at Florida Atlantic, leads the Musketeers with 16.5 points per game and also averages 5.6 rebounds. He has also blocked 10 shots.

“(Carroll) really has had some amazing moments,” Pitino said. “He has been terrific down the stretch.”

Senior guard Roddie Anderson III averages 12.7 points per game and sophomore forward Jovan Milicevic is contributing 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.

Senior forward Filip Borovicanin is pulling down a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game and has blocked 10 shots.

Xavier outrebounded Georgetown 45-36, which Pitino thinks is key for his team.

“You will not win out there with just finesse,” he said. “You have to be physical every night.”

–Field Level Media

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Deadspin | Slumping Jackets, Wings meet with playoff spot within reach Nov 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck in the first period against the Detroit Red Wingsat Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams in desperate need of a win will square off in Detroit on Tuesday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost six straight games while the Detroit Red Wings have dropped six of their last eight. Both clubs are trying to revive their fading playoff hopes. Columbus (38-27-12, 88 points) lost at home to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday. The frustrated Blue Jackets held a team meeting following the defeat. “I’ll just keep our conversation in here because we’re a better team than what we’ve shown and just talked about it,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We’re not eliminated. We’re still in it and I believe in this group. I believe we can get it done and it’s just doing it. “I mean, we did it for two months. The last two weeks obviously haven’t gone our way, but it’s in the room and it’s on us to just pull it out and get it done.” Columbus’ offense has stalled during the slide, scoring a total of 10 goals. “We create the second most chances on the forecheck in the entire league,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working. And they’re not working. So, I have to get after them. They’ve got to change their mindset.” Werenski believes the team needs a singular mindset on Tuesday. “We can’t worry about what other teams do or whoever we have after Detroit,” he said. “Our focus just has to be on Detroit, and after that we’ll figure it out.” The Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points) rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to tie Minnesota on Sunday. But Patrick Kane, who scored the tying goal, took a damaging tripping penalty which led to Kirill Kaprisov’s game-winner for the Wild with 1:51 remaining. “We get the comeback and take a penalty 150 feet from our net not even in the play. It hurts,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. Minnesota built its lead by scoring four goals in the second period with the first one coming 18 seconds after the opening faceoff. “Fifteen seconds in we win a draw and we’re getting scored on because we’re lollygagging around and don’t advance the puck,” McLellan said. “Now it’s in our net. Our team right now, as soon as it doesn’t go our way, we crumble for a while, then we pick ourselves up from the mat but it’s too late. We did it again (Sunday). A pattern.” Detroit has five games remaining and might need to win them all to end a nine-year playoff drought. “(We need to) play like we did in the third period more of the game,” Red Wings center J.T. Compher said. “We gave ourselves a chance. If we start better, it makes a little easier on us. The way we played in the third, we have to play for the rest of the games remaining.” Detroit won its first meeting with Columbus this season on Alex DeBrincat’s overtime goal on Nov. 22. The Blue Jackets pulled out a 6-5 shootout victory in the second matchup on Dec. 4. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Slumping #Jackets #Wings #meet #playoff #spot #reachNov 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck in the first period against the Detroit Red Wingsat Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams in desperate need of a win will square off in Detroit on Tuesday night.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost six straight games while the Detroit Red Wings have dropped six of their last eight. Both clubs are trying to revive their fading playoff hopes.

Columbus (38-27-12, 88 points) lost at home to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday. The frustrated Blue Jackets held a team meeting following the defeat.

“I’ll just keep our conversation in here because we’re a better team than what we’ve shown and just talked about it,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We’re not eliminated. We’re still in it and I believe in this group. I believe we can get it done and it’s just doing it.

“I mean, we did it for two months. The last two weeks obviously haven’t gone our way, but it’s in the room and it’s on us to just pull it out and get it done.”

Columbus’ offense has stalled during the slide, scoring a total of 10 goals.

“We create the second most chances on the forecheck in the entire league,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working. And they’re not working. So, I have to get after them. They’ve got to change their mindset.”

Werenski believes the team needs a singular mindset on Tuesday.


“We can’t worry about what other teams do or whoever we have after Detroit,” he said. “Our focus just has to be on Detroit, and after that we’ll figure it out.”

The Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points) rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to tie Minnesota on Sunday. But Patrick Kane, who scored the tying goal, took a damaging tripping penalty which led to Kirill Kaprisov’s game-winner for the Wild with 1:51 remaining.

“We get the comeback and take a penalty 150 feet from our net not even in the play. It hurts,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said.

Minnesota built its lead by scoring four goals in the second period with the first one coming 18 seconds after the opening faceoff.

“Fifteen seconds in we win a draw and we’re getting scored on because we’re lollygagging around and don’t advance the puck,” McLellan said. “Now it’s in our net. Our team right now, as soon as it doesn’t go our way, we crumble for a while, then we pick ourselves up from the mat but it’s too late. We did it again (Sunday). A pattern.”

Detroit has five games remaining and might need to win them all to end a nine-year playoff drought.

“(We need to) play like we did in the third period more of the game,” Red Wings center J.T. Compher said. “We gave ourselves a chance. If we start better, it makes a little easier on us. The way we played in the third, we have to play for the rest of the games remaining.”

Detroit won its first meeting with Columbus this season on Alex DeBrincat’s overtime goal on Nov. 22. The Blue Jackets pulled out a 6-5 shootout victory in the second matchup on Dec. 4.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Slumping #Jackets #Wings #meet #playoff #spot #reach">Deadspin | Slumping Jackets, Wings meet with playoff spot within reach Nov 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck in the first period against the Detroit Red Wingsat Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams in desperate need of a win will square off in Detroit on Tuesday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost six straight games while the Detroit Red Wings have dropped six of their last eight. Both clubs are trying to revive their fading playoff hopes. Columbus (38-27-12, 88 points) lost at home to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday. The frustrated Blue Jackets held a team meeting following the defeat. “I’ll just keep our conversation in here because we’re a better team than what we’ve shown and just talked about it,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We’re not eliminated. We’re still in it and I believe in this group. I believe we can get it done and it’s just doing it. “I mean, we did it for two months. The last two weeks obviously haven’t gone our way, but it’s in the room and it’s on us to just pull it out and get it done.” Columbus’ offense has stalled during the slide, scoring a total of 10 goals. “We create the second most chances on the forecheck in the entire league,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working. And they’re not working. So, I have to get after them. They’ve got to change their mindset.” Werenski believes the team needs a singular mindset on Tuesday. “We can’t worry about what other teams do or whoever we have after Detroit,” he said. “Our focus just has to be on Detroit, and after that we’ll figure it out.” The Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points) rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to tie Minnesota on Sunday. But Patrick Kane, who scored the tying goal, took a damaging tripping penalty which led to Kirill Kaprisov’s game-winner for the Wild with 1:51 remaining. “We get the comeback and take a penalty 150 feet from our net not even in the play. It hurts,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. Minnesota built its lead by scoring four goals in the second period with the first one coming 18 seconds after the opening faceoff. “Fifteen seconds in we win a draw and we’re getting scored on because we’re lollygagging around and don’t advance the puck,” McLellan said. “Now it’s in our net. Our team right now, as soon as it doesn’t go our way, we crumble for a while, then we pick ourselves up from the mat but it’s too late. We did it again (Sunday). A pattern.” Detroit has five games remaining and might need to win them all to end a nine-year playoff drought. “(We need to) play like we did in the third period more of the game,” Red Wings center J.T. Compher said. “We gave ourselves a chance. If we start better, it makes a little easier on us. The way we played in the third, we have to play for the rest of the games remaining.” Detroit won its first meeting with Columbus this season on Alex DeBrincat’s overtime goal on Nov. 22. The Blue Jackets pulled out a 6-5 shootout victory in the second matchup on Dec. 4. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Slumping #Jackets #Wings #meet #playoff #spot #reach

Napoli is still in the hunt to retain its Serie A title after it beat Scudetto rival AC Milan 1-0 on Monday.

Matteo Politano lashed home the only goal of the game with 11 minutes remaining in front of delighted fans in Naples as the host racked up a fifth straight win.

Napoli leapfrogged Milan into second place but still has a battle on its hands to deny Inter a 21st league crown as it sits seven points off the pace with seven matches remaining.

But Antonio Conte’s team was superior at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Politano’s second goal of the season decided a largely stodgy contest.

Milan now trails local rival Inter by nine points and will, in all likelihood, have to content itself with a return to the Champions League.

Napoli’s win came without Romelu Lukaku, who has incurred the wrath of the club hierarchy after staying in Belgium for treatment for a hip injury.

And Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund was then ruled out with a stomach bug, ending a run of 29 consecutive appearances, leaving winter signing Giovane to lead the line for the host.

Napoli fans’ pre-match display encouraged its team to go “all-in” on the title, but it was a poor game, not helped by Milan only being able to select star attackers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.

Giovane forced Maignan into the best save of the match in the 50th minute with a stinging drive from distance, and there was little more goalmouth action until Politano pounced on Koni De Winter’s weak-headed clearance with a powerful and decisive first-time finish.

Juve eyes Champions League

Juventus moved to within a point of Serie A’s Champions League places with a 2-0 win over Genoa, as the top four battle continued to heat up.

Taking advantage of fourth-placed Como’s goalless draw at Udinese earlier in the day, Juve notched the three points in Turin thanks to Gleison Bremer’s fourth-minute header and a 17th-minute strike from the ever-reliable Weston McKennie.

American McKennie’s fine finish took his Serie A tally to five, equalling his best-ever haul in a single league season back in his first campaign with Juve in 2020-21.

But he showed no interest in that personal statistic when speaking with DAZN after the match, saying, “the important thing is getting into the Champions League”.

Home fans had to thank goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio for a superb double save, which stopped spirited Genoa from getting back into the game, first pawing away Aaron Martin’s penalty and then keeping out Vitinha’s volley.

Di Gregorio has had a tough second season at Juve, dropped from the first team in February following a series of clangers and was only in goal on Monday due to Mattia Perin being substituted at half-time with a calf injury.

“He has some good moments and some tough moments, but we always knew that he was a quality goalkeeper. He knew that his moment would come,” said Bremer.

Di Gregorio’s stops helped put some distance between fifth-placed Juve and Roma, which trails Spalletti’s team by three points in sixth after being thumped 5-2 at Inter on Sunday.

Juve is also four points ahead of Atalanta, 3-0 winner at Lecce, ahead of Saturday’s clash between the pair in Bergamo, with Como hosting Inter the following day.

Genoa suffered no real damage to its bid to avoid relegation as Daniele De Rossi’s team sits six points above Lecce, which is in the bottom three after a heavy defeat.

Lecce was booed off by disgruntled fans after a defeat which left the team level on 27 points with Cremonese, which sits just outside the drop zone thanks to its superior head-to-head record.

Published on Apr 07, 2026

#Serie #Defending #champion #Napolis #beats #Milan #mount #pressure #Inter">Serie A: Defending champion Napoli’s beats AC Milan to mount pressure on Inter Napoli is still in the hunt to retain its Serie A title after it beat Scudetto rival AC Milan 1-0 on Monday.Matteo Politano lashed home the only goal of the game with 11 minutes remaining in front of delighted fans in Naples as the host racked up a fifth straight win.Napoli leapfrogged Milan into second place but still has a battle on its hands to deny Inter a 21st league crown as it sits seven points off the pace with seven matches remaining.But Antonio Conte’s team was superior at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Politano’s second goal of the season decided a largely stodgy contest.Milan now trails local rival Inter by nine points and will, in all likelihood, have to content itself with a return to the Champions League.Napoli’s win came without Romelu Lukaku, who has incurred the wrath of the club hierarchy after staying in Belgium for treatment for a hip injury.And Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund was then ruled out with a stomach bug, ending a run of 29 consecutive appearances, leaving winter signing Giovane to lead the line for the host.Napoli fans’ pre-match display encouraged its team to go “all-in” on the title, but it was a poor game, not helped by Milan only being able to select star attackers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.Giovane forced Maignan into the best save of the match in the 50th minute with a stinging drive from distance, and there was little more goalmouth action until Politano pounced on Koni De Winter’s weak-headed clearance with a powerful and decisive first-time finish.Juve eyes Champions LeagueJuventus moved to within a point of Serie A’s Champions League places with a 2-0 win over Genoa, as the top four battle continued to heat up.Taking advantage of fourth-placed Como’s goalless draw at Udinese earlier in the day, Juve notched the three points in Turin thanks to Gleison Bremer’s fourth-minute header and a 17th-minute strike from the ever-reliable Weston McKennie.American McKennie’s fine finish took his Serie A tally to five, equalling his best-ever haul in a single league season back in his first campaign with Juve in 2020-21.But he showed no interest in that personal statistic when speaking with DAZN after the match, saying, “the important thing is getting into the Champions League”.Home fans had to thank goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio for a superb double save, which stopped spirited Genoa from getting back into the game, first pawing away Aaron Martin’s penalty and then keeping out Vitinha’s volley.Di Gregorio has had a tough second season at Juve, dropped from the first team in February following a series of clangers and was only in goal on Monday due to Mattia Perin being substituted at half-time with a calf injury.“He has some good moments and some tough moments, but we always knew that he was a quality goalkeeper. He knew that his moment would come,” said Bremer.Di Gregorio’s stops helped put some distance between fifth-placed Juve and Roma, which trails Spalletti’s team by three points in sixth after being thumped 5-2 at Inter on Sunday.Juve is also four points ahead of Atalanta, 3-0 winner at Lecce, ahead of Saturday’s clash between the pair in Bergamo, with Como hosting Inter the following day.Genoa suffered no real damage to its bid to avoid relegation as Daniele De Rossi’s team sits six points above Lecce, which is in the bottom three after a heavy defeat.Lecce was booed off by disgruntled fans after a defeat which left the team level on 27 points with Cremonese, which sits just outside the drop zone thanks to its superior head-to-head record.Published on Apr 07, 2026 #Serie #Defending #champion #Napolis #beats #Milan #mount #pressure #Inter

Deadspin | Flyers, Devils both focused on reaching playoffs in crowded Metro Apr 2, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers have picked the right time to get hot. With five games remaining, they sit in a playoff spot and start a three-game road trip Tuesday against the rival New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J. The Flyers (39-26-12, 90 points) find themselves in third place in the Metropolitan Division after Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win against the visiting Boston Bruins. Coach Rick Tocchet’s team has won two straight and eight out of 11. Since play resumed after the Olympic break, the Flyers are 14-6-1, and Tocchet said his team cannot become transfixed on how its fortunes have changed. “When you’re chasing somebody, it’s still hard, but when you’re getting hunted, it’s harder,” he said after Sunday’s win. “We’re going to have to learn that. We can only worry about tomorrow’s practice … and then we worry about the Devils. That’s the only way you can do it. We can’t worry about it.” Sunday was a breakout game for Porter Martone. The sixth overall pick in last year’s draft joined the club last Tuesday. He assisted on the Flyers’ first goal by Christian Dvorak, then scored the overtime winner, which also happened to be his first NHL goal. Tocchet said that Martone has impressed him in his first week as a pro, noting how he’s talked to his veteran teammates about positioning on power plays. “I like that. A young kid like that doing that?” Tocchet added. “You can just tell he’s been around. He’s just a hockey player. Love the kid.” New Jersey (40-34-3, 83 points) is one of the teams chasing the Flyers in the playoff race, but the Devils are seventh in the Metropolitan and would need a lot to fall their way over the final two weeks to sneak in. Coach Sheldon Keefe’s squad has alternated wins and losses over its last six games (3-2-1). On Sunday, the Devils scored a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, another team trying to crash the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Keefe said players told one another after the win that they are not out of the playoff race. “That’s what you like to see,” he said. “It’s shown up in different ways in the last few weeks, with how we played overall. The vibes and the energy, the team’s been really good and healthy. … But (against Montreal) it goes to another level in all regards.” Jack Hughes set up two of New Jersey’s goals in the win at Montreal, continuing a hot streak he’s been on since play resumed in late February. The center — the top overall draft pick in 2019 — has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in the 20 games since the Olympic break. He’s been held without a point in just four games in that span. Despite missing 21 games this season, Hughes, 24, leads the team in points with 72. He’s second behind Nico Hischier (26) with 25 goals and one behind Jesper Bratt’s team-best 48 assists. On Monday, Hughes earned the NHL’s Second Star of the Week honor, after scoring three times and posting six assists in four games. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Flyers #Devils #focused #reaching #playoffs #crowded #MetroApr 2, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Flyers have picked the right time to get hot. With five games remaining, they sit in a playoff spot and start a three-game road trip Tuesday against the rival New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.

The Flyers (39-26-12, 90 points) find themselves in third place in the Metropolitan Division after Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win against the visiting Boston Bruins. Coach Rick Tocchet’s team has won two straight and eight out of 11.

Since play resumed after the Olympic break, the Flyers are 14-6-1, and Tocchet said his team cannot become transfixed on how its fortunes have changed.

“When you’re chasing somebody, it’s still hard, but when you’re getting hunted, it’s harder,” he said after Sunday’s win. “We’re going to have to learn that. We can only worry about tomorrow’s practice … and then we worry about the Devils. That’s the only way you can do it. We can’t worry about it.”

Sunday was a breakout game for Porter Martone. The sixth overall pick in last year’s draft joined the club last Tuesday. He assisted on the Flyers’ first goal by Christian Dvorak, then scored the overtime winner, which also happened to be his first NHL goal.

Tocchet said that Martone has impressed him in his first week as a pro, noting how he’s talked to his veteran teammates about positioning on power plays.

“I like that. A young kid like that doing that?” Tocchet added. “You can just tell he’s been around. He’s just a hockey player. Love the kid.”


New Jersey (40-34-3, 83 points) is one of the teams chasing the Flyers in the playoff race, but the Devils are seventh in the Metropolitan and would need a lot to fall their way over the final two weeks to sneak in.

Coach Sheldon Keefe’s squad has alternated wins and losses over its last six games (3-2-1). On Sunday, the Devils scored a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, another team trying to crash the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Keefe said players told one another after the win that they are not out of the playoff race.

“That’s what you like to see,” he said. “It’s shown up in different ways in the last few weeks, with how we played overall. The vibes and the energy, the team’s been really good and healthy. … But (against Montreal) it goes to another level in all regards.”

Jack Hughes set up two of New Jersey’s goals in the win at Montreal, continuing a hot streak he’s been on since play resumed in late February. The center — the top overall draft pick in 2019 — has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in the 20 games since the Olympic break. He’s been held without a point in just four games in that span.

Despite missing 21 games this season, Hughes, 24, leads the team in points with 72. He’s second behind Nico Hischier (26) with 25 goals and one behind Jesper Bratt’s team-best 48 assists.

On Monday, Hughes earned the NHL’s Second Star of the Week honor, after scoring three times and posting six assists in four games.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Flyers #Devils #focused #reaching #playoffs #crowded #Metro">Deadspin | Flyers, Devils both focused on reaching playoffs in crowded Metro Apr 2, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers have picked the right time to get hot. With five games remaining, they sit in a playoff spot and start a three-game road trip Tuesday against the rival New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J. The Flyers (39-26-12, 90 points) find themselves in third place in the Metropolitan Division after Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win against the visiting Boston Bruins. Coach Rick Tocchet’s team has won two straight and eight out of 11. Since play resumed after the Olympic break, the Flyers are 14-6-1, and Tocchet said his team cannot become transfixed on how its fortunes have changed. “When you’re chasing somebody, it’s still hard, but when you’re getting hunted, it’s harder,” he said after Sunday’s win. “We’re going to have to learn that. We can only worry about tomorrow’s practice … and then we worry about the Devils. That’s the only way you can do it. We can’t worry about it.” Sunday was a breakout game for Porter Martone. The sixth overall pick in last year’s draft joined the club last Tuesday. He assisted on the Flyers’ first goal by Christian Dvorak, then scored the overtime winner, which also happened to be his first NHL goal. Tocchet said that Martone has impressed him in his first week as a pro, noting how he’s talked to his veteran teammates about positioning on power plays. “I like that. A young kid like that doing that?” Tocchet added. “You can just tell he’s been around. He’s just a hockey player. Love the kid.” New Jersey (40-34-3, 83 points) is one of the teams chasing the Flyers in the playoff race, but the Devils are seventh in the Metropolitan and would need a lot to fall their way over the final two weeks to sneak in. Coach Sheldon Keefe’s squad has alternated wins and losses over its last six games (3-2-1). On Sunday, the Devils scored a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, another team trying to crash the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Keefe said players told one another after the win that they are not out of the playoff race. “That’s what you like to see,” he said. “It’s shown up in different ways in the last few weeks, with how we played overall. The vibes and the energy, the team’s been really good and healthy. … But (against Montreal) it goes to another level in all regards.” Jack Hughes set up two of New Jersey’s goals in the win at Montreal, continuing a hot streak he’s been on since play resumed in late February. The center — the top overall draft pick in 2019 — has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in the 20 games since the Olympic break. He’s been held without a point in just four games in that span. Despite missing 21 games this season, Hughes, 24, leads the team in points with 72. He’s second behind Nico Hischier (26) with 25 goals and one behind Jesper Bratt’s team-best 48 assists. On Monday, Hughes earned the NHL’s Second Star of the Week honor, after scoring three times and posting six assists in four games. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Flyers #Devils #focused #reaching #playoffs #crowded #Metro

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