Marc-Andre Fleury wore a custom mask for the Minnesota Wild’s Native American Heritage night Friday after being told by the NHL it was not allowed.

Fleury took the ice for the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche wearing the specially designed mask. Agent Allan Walsh confirmed earlier in the day that the league informed his client he couldn’t wear the mask, even for warmups.

The NHL prohibits players from wearing specialty jerseys, masks, stickers, decals or tape for theme nights.

The league initially banned players from using rainbow-colored tape on Pride nights before reversing that decision after receiving backlash from around the hockey community. Teams are not allowed to dress players in themed jerseys for warmups this season after a handful of players decided last season to opt out of Pride Night warmups that included specialty jerseys.

With the Wild celebrating Native American Heritage night Friday against Colorado, Fleury wanted to honor his wife, Véronique, an Indigenous woman, with a specially designed mask. Walsh said Fleury offered to pay whatever fine he’d receive and the NHL threatened to levy the organization with an “additional significant fine.”

Fleury didn’t play in the game and didn’t talk to reporters afterward.

The Wild had no comment, while messages sent to the NHL regarding the situation were not immediately returned.

Fleury, 38, is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and won the Vezina Trophy in 2021 as the league’s top goaltender.

The NBA is looking into allegations made on social media that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, league spokesman Mike Bass said Friday.

The league initiated the inquiry after posts were made by an anonymous user allegedly connecting Giddey, 21, to an underage female.

Giddey and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault declined to comment when asked at the Thunder’s media availability Friday.

“I understand the question obviously, but there’s no comment right now,” Giddey said.

The Thunder are 11-4, have won six consecutive games and are in second place in the Western Conference. They play the Philadelphia 76ers (10-5) Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Who is Josh Giddey?

Giddey is a third-year guard for the Thunder and averages 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He is one of the league’s top young do-it-all guards and emerged as a potential All-Star last season with 28 double-doubles and five triple-doubles while averaging 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists and shooting 48.2% from the field.

Alongside All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have one of the best young backcourts in the league.

The Thunder drafted Giddey with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 draft. Giddey was born in Melbourne, Australia and participated in the NBA’s Global Academy before playing for Adelaide in Australia’s pro league.

He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team in 2021-2022.

At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Giddey played for Australia and was given the Rising Star Award for his performance.

A photo of a basketball scoreboard that read 95-0 popped up on social media Friday.

It was the final score of a high school girls basketball game in South Carolina between Dutch Fork and Lamar, and the winning coach said it could have been worse.

“I know it looks bad on the scoreboard,’’ said Candace Bush, head girls coach at Dutch Fork High in Irmo,  S.C.. “It wasn’t my girls’ fault.’’

Before the game, Bush said she realized Lamar was a smaller school and asked that her team be placed in a different bracket at the She Got Next tournament organized by A1 Hoops Basketball.

But Bush said she never heard back from tournament officials and so the game was played as scheduled Friday at White Knoll High School in Lexington, South Carolina.

Bush said Lamar’s players attempted only five or six shots during the game.

“A couple of times they literally just handed the ball to my girls,’’ Bush said. “We looked at each other on the bench like, ‘Did she really just give it to her?’

“If I had known it was going to be that bad, I would have brought my JV girls to play pretty much the entire game.”

How did the game unfold?

“It was out of control from the beginning, honestly,’’ Bush said.

Dutch Fork dropped into a zone defense in the second quarter in an attempt to slow the scoring, according to Bush. But she said Lamar’s players pressed her players, and so the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes continued to take and make shots as the number on their side of the scoreboard climbed.

It was 95-0 with about 2 1/2 minutes left to play, according to Bush.

“So, of course, they see the scoreboard and they’re trying to push 100,’’ Bush said of her players. “I wouldn’t let them do it. I told them just to hold the ball at the top.’’

Ayonna Thompson-Bowen, the Director of A1 Hoops that organized the tournament, said she was not immediately available to talk when reached for comment.

Attempts to reach Lamar coach Randolph Scott were unsuccessful.

Caitlin Clark is more than the best passer in college basketball and a logo-shooting supernova: She’s about to become the best scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, and maybe NCAA history. 

Clark, a senior All-American who led Iowa to the national championship game in April, is on pace to top Kelsey Plum’s scoring record (3,527), set in 2017. Perhaps more impressively, she could also top the men’s scoring record, set by Pete Maravich in 1970 (3,667 points), back before the 3-point line existed. 

Clark started the 2022-23 season with 2,717 career points, and through six games is averaging 30.6. Given that she’s never averaged less than 26.6 per season, she’ll likely break Plum’s record toward the end of February (provided she stays healthy). Then again, this is a player who has a history of 40-point performances, so it could happen sooner. 

Should Clark return for a fifth year — because of COVID she has one extra season of eligibility if she wants it — she would undoubtedly shatter both records. 

How many points did Caitlin Clark score in Iowa’s last game?

vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov. 24: Clark scored 29 points in the Hawkeyes’ 98-59 win in the opener of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The guard also handed out eight assists with three rebounds and three steals. In connecting on 6-of-9 long-distance attempts, Clark continued her streak of hitting a 3 in 64 consecutive games, best in the NCAA.  

Points shy of breaking Plum’s record: 627

Points shy of breaking Maravich’s record: 767

How many career points does Caitlin Clark have?

After her 29-point performance vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, Caitlin Clark has 2,901 career points (and counting!)

Can Caitlin Clark break the scoring record?

Absolutely. The real question is, can Clark break both scoring records? Former Washington All-American Plum, now a WNBA All-Star with the Las Vegas Aces, holds the Division I women’s record with 3,527 points. Pete Maravich holds the Division I men’s record with 3,667. Depending on how deep Iowa plays into the postseason, both of those records are within reach for Clark.

What is Caitlin Clark’s highest-scoring game?

Clark’s highest-scoring game came early in the 2023-24 season, when she hung 44 points on Virginia Tech, another 2023 Final Four participant. Clark shot 13-for-31 that game, including 5-for-16 from 3. She also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists in the 80-76 win.

How many points does Caitlin Clark average per game?

Through six games in the 2023-24 season, Clark is averaging 30.6 points. Over her career, she’s averaged 27.3 points.

One of the most impressive parts of Clark’s game is that she’s averaged more points each season. Here’s how it breaks down:

Freshman year: 26.6 pointsSophomore year: 27.0 pointsJunior year: 27.8 pointsSenior year: 30.6 points

Caitlin Clark game-by-game points in 2023-24

Here’s a breakdown of Clark’s scoring this season for the Hawkeyes:

vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 pointsvs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 pointsvs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 pointsat UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 pointsvs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 pointsvs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — First there was the ‘Butt Fumble.”  

Now, there’s the “Hell Mary.” 

Add it to the New York Jets’ downtrodden lore. 

Those two plays will be forever linked because they had the misfortune of both taking place on Thanksgiving weekend, 11 years apart. The Jets have made the postseason zero times between those two plays. The most recent, a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half returned 99 yards the other way for a Jevon Holland pick-six in a 34-13 rout by the Miami Dolphins on Friday, effectively extinguished any 2023 postseason hopes for the Jets. Barring a miracle turnaround, the Jets are careening towards 13 straight seasons without reaching the playoffs, the longest drought in the NFL. 

“Everything about this season thus far, it’s been tough,” wide receiver Garrett Wilson said following the game. “No one said it’s going to be easy. Nothing’s been easy.”

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Prior to Holland’s dash — 99 yards on the stat sheet, 124.4 yards traveled according to NFL’s NextGenStats — the Jets had pronounced themselves as competitive in the first-ever Black Friday NFL contest. Trailing 10-0 at halftime and the offense showing little signs of life with Tim Boyle under center, the Jets’ defense attempted to save them. Cornerback Brandin Echols took a Tua Tagovailoa pass to the sideline 30 yards the other way for New York’s first points (kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the extra point).

“Felt good about the momentum we’d gathered,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said after the game. “Took our shot off the interception, try to get one more. Just a very unfortunate play at the end of the half when it felt like we’d captured momentum.” 

Fve plays after Echols’ score, Tagovailoa threw another interception, this time to cornerback D.J. Reed, leaving two seconds for the Jets’s offense before halftime. Boyle dropped back, avoided the Dolphins’ rush, and fired toward the goal line, but the ball never made it there. Instead, it dropped into Holland’s waiting arms. Boyle said he knew he didn’t put enough zip on it as he tried to leave the pocket, while Holland added it looked like a missed field goal landing in front of him. That was only the start of the problems for New York.  

“I’ve never really seen or been a part of anything about that,” Boyle said. “It’s a good learning experience. You have to have a cover plan in case interceptions happen like that.” 

Holland had plenty of open turf in front of him, and his defensive linemen reversed roles and started throwing blocks against the Jets’ linemen. The Jets’ receivers were caught sprinting the wrong way. Jets tight end Tyler Conklin and Wilson were two who made the trek to the other side of the field, while running back Breece Hall and Boyle tried to take away Holland’s angle. 

“I felt I was pretty helpless,” Conklin said. 

But Holland, who had returned 16 punts between the 2021 and 2022 seasons for Miami, was in his true element. 

‘I had to get busy. I had to, you know what I’m saying, show a little sugar, or whatever, like that,” he told Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung in his post-game interview on the field. “And I just got into the zone, man. I could smell it, and then once I made that cut, I knew I was there, and then I had to make it happen.’

Miami running back Raheem Mostert (20 carries, 94 yards, two touchdowns) called it the best play he’d ever seen. Tagovailoa had never seen a play like that to end a half before, he said. More than one play cost the Jets the game — a third-stringer starting at quarterback was the first indication it may not be their day, or season, since Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be the one throwing that pass in a perfect world — but any chance of an upset was erased by the runback and the emotional swing it carried.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was amped to the point he started running toward the visitor’s locker room prior to the extra point try. Asked about the play after the game, the 40-year-old coach let out a satisfactory grunt. 

“It was absolutely a huge momentum swing that I think there’s very few players that could have pulled off what Jevon did,” said McDaniel. 

McDaniel said Holland has watched “a ton” of tape on former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, famous for exhilarating interceptions returned for touchdowns, and that the play “was very reminiscent of Ed Reed, for sure.” 

“Nobody on this team that was on the field will forget that particular play,” McDaniel said. “It’s pretty special, when you’re talking about the first play people think of when they think back to this game.” 

The Jets having an improbable, memorable touchdown return on the national stage against them in late November?  For ‘Gang Green,’ some things don’t change. Except that whole ‘not making the playoffs’ thing.

The NHL trade deadline is March 8 and already a few moves and other transactions are trickling in.

The latest was the Minnesota Wild moving out one defenseman to bring in a different style of blue-liner in a separate trade.

General managers will be guided by another year of a tight salary cap, but it’s expected to rise next season, possibly by $4 million. Last summer, a lot of players signed low-cost, one-year deals, increasing the pool of potential unrestricted free agents who could be moved out for draft picks or prospects.

Follow along this season for news and analysis on deals, major transactions and other announcements that have happened in the months leading up the trade deadline:

THANKSGIVING STANDINGS: Which playoff-positioned teams will make the postseason?

Nov. 25: Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Perry to be away from team for foreseeable future

Corey Perry will be away from the Chicago Blackhawks for the foreseeable future, general manager Kyle Davidson said Saturday. Perry, 38, hasn’t played since a 3-2 loss to Buffalo last Sunday. He was a healthy scratch for the last two games.

“It’s been a team decision so far to hold him out, and that’s about all I’m able to provide,” Davidson said.

In a statement provided to Hockey Night in Canada, Pat Morris, Perry’s agent, said the forward stepped away from the team to attend to personal matters.

Perry was acquired from Tampa Bay in a June trade, then agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract. He has four goals and five assists in 16 games. His absence comes as the Blackhawks deal with a series of injuries among their forwards. Taylor Hall, another offseason acquisition, is scheduled for right knee surgery on Monday in Minnesota. – Associated Press

Nov. 24: Colorado Avalanche’s Sam Girard enters mental health treatment

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard is entering the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program. He announced through his agent that his severe anxiety and depression had gone untreated too long and had led to alcohol abuse.

‘Taking care of your mental health is of the utmost importance, and I encourage everyone to speak up and seek help should you feel like you need it,’ he said in a statement.

Girard, 25, has played all but five games of his seven-year NHL career with the Avalanche and had a career-best 37 points last season. He had one goal and three assists through 15 games this season and had missed the past two games for personal reasons.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said the team supports Girard going to get help.

“You’ve got to take care of yourself first before you’re able to come and help a team,’ he said.

Nov. 24: Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness returns from leave of absence

Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness returned behind the bench Friday for the first time since he took a leave of absence on Oct. 23 after his wife Judy had a seizure. He said she’s doing as well as expected with her new medication and will stay with their children when he’s on the road. Associate coach Scott Arniel went 9-2-2 in Bowness’ absence. The Jets beat the Florida Panthers 3-0 with Bowness behind the bench.

Also: Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson played his 10th NHL game on Friday, meaning he’s staying in the league and not being returned to his junior hockey team. Benson scored his first NHL goal on Wednesday with a spectacular move. … The Washington Capitals said forward T.J. Oshie won’t travel with the team after a hard collision in Friday’s 5-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Nov. 23: Chicago Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall to have ACL surgery

Chicago Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall, the former No. 1 overall pick who was acquired to mentor and play alongside rookie Connor Bedard, will have ACL surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

‘It came from an accumulation of a bunch of little injuries from the game and even in practice the other day,’ coach Luke Richardson told reporters. ‘It became unstable and we need to fix it.’

SABRES: Rookie Zach Benson scores first NHL goal in spectacular fashion

Hall had been limited to 10 games (four points) this season because of injuries.

“It’s heartbreaking — someone that loved to play so much and every game is so impactful, such a good hockey player and such a good person,’ Bedard said.

The Blackhawks also placed forward Andreas Athanasiou (groin muscle) on the injured list and called up Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman.

Nov. 17: Florida Panthers activate Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad

The defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers got off to a 10-5-1 record even with key absences. Now, they’re getting defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad back, activating them from the injured list after they recovered from offseason surgery for playoff injuries.

Montour set a franchise record for points by a defenseman (73) and was their top-scoring blueliner in the playoffs. Ekblad, like Montour a right-hand shot, was taken No. 1 overall in the 2014 draft. Defenseman Josh Mahura went on the injured list to make the salary cap situation work.

Nov. 12: Edmonton Oilers fire coach Jay Woodcroft

The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Jay Woodcroft on Sunday after a 3-9-1 start and replaced him with Kris Knoblauch, the Hartford Wolf Pack coach and Connor McDavid’s former junior hockey coach. That’s the third recent move with a connection to three-time MVP McDavid. His agent, Jeff Jackson, was hired earlier as CEO of hockey operations and the team also signed his former junior hockey linemate Connor Brown.

McDavid said Monday he was surprised by the move and said Woodcroft ‘never lost the room.’

The Oilers were a trendy pick to go far in the playoffs, but have disappointed this season. Last season’s No. 1-ranked offense is 26th this season, with McDavid possibly slowed by an injury that cost him two games. Their goaltending issues have been worse. Jack Campbell was sent to the American Hockey League in the second year of his five-year contract. Stuart Skinner, a rookie of the year finalist last season, ranks last in the league in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.

Knoblauch – and newly hired Oilers legend Paul Coffey coaching the defense – will be tasked with getting the Oilers back to a playoff spot. There’s precedent: Woodcroft went 26-9-3 down the stretch in 2021-22 as a midseason replacement and led the team to the Western Conference final. 

Also: The Colorado Avalanche announced that goalie Pavel Francouz (lower body) will miss the rest of the season. He has yet to play in 2023-24 and will return to the Czech Republic to be with his family. The team also signed forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year deal.

Nov. 10: Pittsburgh Penguins to retire Jaromir Jagr’s number

Jaromir Jagr, drafted fifth overall in 1990, won Stanley Cup titles in his first two seasons and ranks fourth in franchise history with 1,079 points in 806 games. He played 11 seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Washington Capitals. He ranks second all-time in NHL history in points and fourth in goals. His No. 68 will be retired on Feb. 18.

Nov. 8: Minnesota Wild trade Calen Addison to San Jose Sharks, acquire Zach Bogosian from Tampa Bay Lightning

Addison was sent to the San Jose Sharks for forward Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The defenseman is a power play specialist, but he is unreliable in his own zone. That led to him being a healthy scratch often down the stretch last season. With the Wild getting Jared Spurgeon back soon from injury (he was activated from long-term injured reserve on Friday), the power play opportunities will dwindle. Addison will be more valuable to the Sharks, who dealt Erik Karlsson last summer. He will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Bogosian lacks Addison’s offense, but the veteran takes care of his end of the ice. He’s a right-handed shot, like Addison.

“He’s a big guy,’ Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin told reporters. ‘He still skates well. He brings heaviness. He brings some grit and we need that.”

The trade buys the Lightning a little bit of salary cap breathing room. Bogosian, in the final season of a three-year contract, has a $850,000 cap hit.

Nov. 7: Edmonton Oilers place goalie Jack Campbell on waivers

Campbell, who signed a five-year, $25 million free agent deal in 2022, hasn’t played well since arriving. Stuart Skinner surpassed him last season and was a rookie of the year finalist. This season, Campbell was chased in the season opener and has gone 1-4 with a 4.50 goals-against average and .873 save percentage. He cleared waivers and will work on his game in the American Hockey League as the struggling Oilers try to get into a playoff spot. Edmonton recalled Calvin Pickard from Bakersfield (California) to back up Skinner.

Oct. 13: Colorado Avalanche sign defenseman Devon Toews to seven-year extension

He’ll average $7.25 million in the deal, which begins next season. Heading into the season, Toews led the league with a +120 plus-minus rating since he was acquired from the New York Islanders in 2020. He’s right behind defenseman Cale Makar in average ice time during that time.

Oct. 10: Carolina Hurricanes acquire forward Callahan Burke from the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Caleb Jones

The Hurricanes loaded up on defense this offseason and Jones was the odd man out. Both players will play for the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.

We’ve reached the penultimate weekend of the college football season and the races for the College Football Playoff and conference titles have reached critical stages. 

Berths in the semifinals and major bowls are on the line and can cause teams to raise their level of play or stumble close to the finish line. This leads to unexpected results — often in places where it is least anticipated.

That’s why we’re here to make sense of things. The USA TODAY Sports college football staff — Scooby Axson, Jace Evans, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Dan Wolken — weigh in with bold predictions for Week 13 of the college football season:

Florida State does enough to beat Florida

Without injured quarterback Jordan Travis, Florida State will need to rely on its playmakers more than ever.  The Seminoles are no slouch on offense, and they are facing a porous Florida defense. Florida State might want to turn on the tape of Florida playing LSU and while they don’t have a Jayden Daniels on the team, the offense has enough talent on that side of the ball to expose the Gators and keep their national title hopes alive. Because there is talk of Florida State being left out of the playoff should chaos ensue, they need to pile on the style points and win impressively. That won’t happen, even though Florida will also play a backup quarterback, but they will do enough, and the defense will make enough plays to win the game. — Scooby Axson

Potential playoff chaos at hand in the The Swamp

The potential College Football Playoff chaos involving Florida State largely resolves itself this weekend with the Seminoles falling to rival Florida in The Swamp. Jordan Travis is a special football player whose absence can’t just be dismissed. Would Florida State even be undefeated without him? I kind of doubt it. Florida certainly has plenty of its own problems, but you have to imagine the Gators would relish ruining a rival’s season while becoming bowl eligible. — Jace Evans

Kentucky keeps win streak alive against Louisville

Kentucky upsets Louisville to win a fifth in a row in the series and end the Cardinals’ already slim playoff hopes. But don’t look for this one to be another blowout after the Wildcats’ last four wins came by an average of 30.5 points. Kentucky’s offense is way below average, so the defense will have to rise to the challenge against a unit that ranks third in the ACC in yards gained per play. Look for Kentucky to deliver a close win that doubles as upsetting news for Florida State, which would love it if Louisville went into the conference title game with just one loss.has context menu. — Paul Myerberg

North Carolina finishes with win

At first glance, it appears North Carolina and North Carolina State are going in different directions. The Tar Heels have flopped against Virginia, Georgia Tech and Clemson in the second half of the season. The Wolfpack have won four in a row despite some challenge at quarterback. So it should be another win for State, right? Look for quarterback Drake Maye to be the difference and lead North Carolina to a victory in the final regular season game of his career. — Erick Smith

Not much drama in the Iron Bowl

Some of the most memorable finishes in Iron Bowl games of recent vintage have occurred in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Yes, of course there was the ‘Kick Six ‘ in 2013, then that 2019 48-45 track meet that wasn’t sealed until an illegal substitution penalty on the Crimson Tide gave the Tigers a clinching first down.

But unfortunately for Tigers’ fans, there will be nothing memorable about this year’s edition. There will be no questioning Auburn’s energy level, but one can’t reasonably expect this team that was exposed by New Mexico State last week to hang with Alabama for long. We’ll say Auburn does get into the end zone once, probably somewhat early in the proceedings, but not much will go the Tigers’ way the rest of the afternoon. — Eddie Timanus

Florida knocks Florida State from playoff

Maybe it’s not too bold at this point but I’m going with Florida to beat Florida State and take care of one of the sticky issues currently in front of the College Football Playoff committee. After the awful Jordan Travis injury, I wasn’t too convinced by the Seminoles against North Alabama. Going into the Swamp is a totally different deal, and even though the Gators have had an underwhelming season it’s going to be a brutal environment for Tate Rodemaker to play quarterback given the stakes. I just think FSU is a different team without Travis and it’s not a great spot for them to go on the road. — Dan Wolken