LOCAL SPORTS
Maritime League: The Pictou County Weeks Crushers were defeated 4-3 by the Campbellton Tigers. Their road trip continues as they face Jack Hayne and the Chaleur Thunder tonight at 7.
Seniors League: The Pictou County Pipers were shut down 7-0 by the Bearcats in Truro. Tonight, the Bearcats face the Antigonish Bulldogs, while the Pipers host the East Hants Penguins at the Hector Arena. Both games begin at 7:30.
U16 AAA: The Cabot Highlanders beat the Cape Breton Jets 1-0.
The Millenium Cup continues at the Antigonish Arena. In Friday’s action, The Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals fell 5-3 to Memorial, while Glace bay defeated Parkview 6-4. Action resumes at 8 am with Memorial vs Dalbrae Academy, followed by Glace Bay vs CEC at 9:30, Northumberland against Parkview at 11, and Dalbrae vs the Royals at 12:30. Play continues through the day, with playoffs on Sunday.
The Pictou County Weeks Majors are competing in the CCM Challenge tournament in Chatauguay Quebec. In yesterday’s play, they were defeated 9-0 by St. Eustache and finish with a record of 0-3. In regular season play, the CB West Islanders travel to Lunenberg to face off with the Mustangs at 7.
Maritime Major Girls U18 League: The Northern Selects host the Western Flames at the Hector Arena. Game time 4 pm. The Cape Breton Lynx host the Surge at 5:30.
NATIONAL SPORTS
The St. Louis Blues jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and then hung on for a 3-2 N-H-L victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Logan Mailloux, Matt Luff and Justin Faulk scored for the Blues, who snapped a two-game skid. Robert Thomas chipped in with two assists. Wyatt Kaiser and Andre Burakovsky scored for the Hawks. Connor Bedard had two assists. He also appeared to injure his shoulder in the final second of play.
Dylan Guenther’s power-play goal at 12:55 of the third period snapped a 2-2 deadlock and lifted the Utah Mammoth to a 5-3 N-H-L victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken. Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two assists for the Kraken, while Kailer Yamamoto, J-J Peterka and Lawson Crouse also scored for the Mammoth, who halted a three-game skid. Mason Marchment scored twice for the Kraken and Ben Meyers netted a single.
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the N-H-L season. Minnesota sent centre Marco Rossi, winger Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round draft pick to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver. Hughes was the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenceman.
Canada’s world junior hockey team has added forward Marek Vanacker to its lineup. The 19-year-old from Delhi, Ontario, played with the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs this season. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Vanacker in the first round of the 2024 N-H-L draft. Canada’s training camp starts Saturday in Niagara Falls, Ontario, before the Canadians open their 2026 world junior championship run on Boxing Day in Minneapolis against Czechia.
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points, Paul George had 23 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the visiting Indiana Pacers 115-105. V-J Edgecombe added 22 points for the 76ers. Pascal Siakam had 20 points for the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers, who dropped to 6-and-19.
Anthony Davis had 24 points and 14 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 119-111. Cooper Flagg chipped in with 22 points for the Mavs, who have won two in a row. Naj Marshall chipped in with 17. Michael Porter Junior had 34 points for the Nets and Danny Wolf chipped in with 17.
Friday’s Scoreboard
NHL
St. Louis 3 Chicago 2
Utah 5 Seattle 3
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Blainville-Boisbriand 4 Baie-Comeau 3
Drummondville 4 Rimouski 1
NBA
Detroit 142 Atlanta 115
Chicago 129 Charlotte 126
Philadelphia 115 Indiana 105
Cleveland 130 Washington 126
Utah 130 Memphis 126
Dallas 119 Brooklyn 111
Minnesota 127 Golden State 120
Saturday’s Games (All times Eastern)
NHL
Anaheim at New Jersey, 12:30 p.m.
Ottawa at Minnesota, 2 p.m.
San Jose at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 3:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Washington at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Montreal at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Vegas at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Florida at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Nashville at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Calgary at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Blainville-Boisbriand at Baie-Comeau, 4 p.m.
Saint John at Quebec, 4 p.m.
Gatineau at Rimouski, 4 p.m.
Victoriaville at Rouyn-Noranda, 4 p.m.
Chicoutimi at Shawinigan, 4 p.m.
Sherbrooke at Val-d’Or, 4 p.m.
Newfoundland at Cape Breton, 6 p.m.
Halifax at Moncton, 6 p.m.
NBA – NBA Cup Semifinals at Las Vegas
Orlando vs New York, 5:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City vs San Antonio, 9 p.m.