PHOENIX (AP) – Chris Paul’s return to Phoenix ended in the second quarter on Wednesday night after the 12-time All-Star was ejected by his old nemesis: referee Scott Foster.

The Golden State Warriors guard and Foster have a long, acrimonious history, with the point guard complaining about Foster’s officiating for nearly a decade. Now Paul says that a years-old issue that involves his son is at least part of the reason for the friction.

“It’s personal,” Paul said. “We had a situation some years ago and it’s personal. The league knows, everybody knows. There’s been a meeting and all that. It’s just a situation with my son. I’m OK with a ref saying whatever – just don’t use a tech to get your point across.

“I’ve got to do a better job of making sure I’m staying on the floor for my teammates, but that’s that.”

Paul declined to provide additional details of the situation with his son, though he said it happened when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers, who he played for from 2011-17.

The 38-year-old Paul – playing in Phoenix for the first time since being traded from the Suns during the offseason – was ejected with 23.2 seconds left in the second quarter after a long discussion with Foster, which led to his first technical foul.

Foster walked away but Paul kept yelling and the referee quickly turned and gave the point guard another technical, which caused the ejection. The Warriors were already without forward Draymond Green, who was recently suspended five games by the NBA after grabbing Rudy Gobert around the neck.

“I didn’t think Chris deserved to be ejected,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The first tech? Absolutely. But I thought the second one was unnecessary. Everybody gets frustrated out there, but that’s up to the official.”

Warriors team personnel had to get between Paul and Foster before the guard left the court. Kerr was also assessed a technical by Foster.

Phoenix won 123-115. Golden State has lost seven of its past eight games.

A controversial − but still legal − tackle is getting renewed scrutiny after a potentially season-ending injury last Thursday in a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

The hip-drop tackle has sidelined Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who may have sustained a cracked fibula and ankle ligament injury after catching a pass in the game’s opening minutes. While the extent of Andrews injuries remains unclear, let’s clear up what a hip-drop tackle is.

What exactly is a hip-drop tackle?

In a hip-drop tackle, the defensive player approaches from behind or the side, wraps his arms around the offensive player and becomes dead weight while dropping to the ground. Often, the defensive player’s body lands on the offensive player’s legs. According to NFL executive Jeff Miller, it poses a 25-times higher risk of injury than a normal tackle.

Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, calls the hip-drop tackle the cousin of the horse collar: ‘What’s happening on the hip-drop is the defender is encircling, tackling the runner and then swinging their weight and falling on the side of their leg, which is their ankle or their knee.’

‘A hip-drop tackle is so dangerous,’ said Dr. Robert Glatter, a former sideline physician for the New York Jets and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health in New York. ‘The defender essentially swings their full body weight as they fall on their ankle, leg or knee. This leaves the lower body at risk for serious ankle and ligament damage.’

How did Mark Andrews get injured by a hip-drop tackle?

Andrews’ injury occurred during the first quarter of Thursday night’s game when Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson tackled him from behind.

Early this week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was cautiously optimistic about Andrews’ injury: ‘Nothing is completely definitive yet, but my understanding is in talking with our trainer and the doctors is that it wasn’t as bad as initially feared right after the game.’ The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Andrews had surgery earlier that day, but details on the level of injury were not available.

Initial reports were that Andrews suffered a fibular fracture with ligament damage. ‘A fibular fracture with ligament damage is likely a season-ending injury in the best of circumstances,’ Glatter said.

Ankle fractures are classified into three main categories, according to the Danis-Weber classification system:

Bengals coach Zac Taylor defends Wilson

Bengals coach Zac Taylor defended Wilson. ‘One thing that’s frustrating was the narrative that’s been brought up about Logan Wilson,’ Taylor said. ‘Logan is everything we want to be about in the way he plays the game. He plays with a toughness and a physicality that is important to that position.’

A person with knowledge of NFL’s competition committee, who asked not to be identified, told USA TODAY Sports that at least one member of the committee in recent days has suggested the highly unusual measure of instituting a rule during the season and banning the hip-drop tackle. The person asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Other notable injuries from hip-drop tackles

In Week 4, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith suffered a knee injury during a Monday night game when Isaiah Simmons hip-drop tackled him. Ironically, referees flagged Smith for a personal foul when he got into a scuffle with Simmons after the play.

‘A dirty play,’ Smith told ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game. ‘There’s no place in the sport for that. And you know, hopefully something happens. But other than that, the grace of God allowed me to come back into this game.’

Other recent injuries of note caused by the hip-drop tackle:

Cowboys running back Tony Pollard suffered a fractured leg and ankle in January and was knocked out of an NFC divisional playoff game at San Francisco.Kansas City Chiefs MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain that same weekend during the AFC divisional playoff. Mahomes’ injury could have been worse. ‘While a ‘high ankle sprain’ or injury to ligaments above the ankle can result from such a tackle, associated fractures involving the fibula can also occur related to the rotational or twisting type of injury,’ Glatter said.

During league meetings in New York last month, an NFL executive Jeff Miller contended that the injury rate linked to hip-drop tackles is 25 times higher than for a normal tackle. That’s an uptick from the “20 times higher” figure NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent cited during the spring.

Recent rules created to protect players

If the league were to impose a rule against the hip-drop tackle, it wouldn’t be the first time it has cracked down on risky defensive plays. Among them:

Horse-collar tackle: During the 2005 off-season, NFL owners voted to ban the play in which a defender grabs the inside collar of the back or the side of the shoulder pads or jersey and pulls the runner down. Such a tackle leads to ligament tears and tibia and fibula fractures. Other details of the tackle:

It does not apply to a runner who is in the tackle box or a quarterback still in the pocket.A player doesn’t have to be to pulled to the ground for the tackle be considered illegal. If his knees are buckled by the action, it’s a foul.

Helmet to helmet: In 2018, the league imposed a helmet rule that bans players from lowering their heads and making forcible contact with their helmet. The foul can happen on any part of the field, and in some cases, the player can be disqualified.

If you want to understand just how far the Detroit Lions, who play on Thanksgiving Day, have come in recent years, how the team has developed into one of the NFL’s best stories, you need to first look at their past. A new documentary about legendary Lions running back Barry Sanders does that but it’s the reaction from one person to it that speaks more about how the Lions have gone from a perennial joke to a possible Super Bowl champion. (Yes, I said they could win the Super Bowl this year.)

That person is former Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell.

One of the tributaries of the documentary called ‘Bye Bye Barry’ is essentially a discussion about wasted talent. The Lions had this stratospheric player in Sanders and were still, well, Lions-y. Stars like Michigan natives Eminem and Jeff Daniels basically state what cost the Lions a Super Bowl was Mitchell.

If the Lions had a quarterback, the argument goes, they would have made a Super Bowl.

Today’s Lions are the epitome of a complete team. They don’t have a singular talent like Sanders (few teams ever have) but they are solid across the board. A good quarterback and offensive weapons, an opportunistic defense, and an underrated coach. The Lions’ 8-2 record, according to the NFL Network, is the best for the franchise heading into a Thanksgiving Day game since 1962.

In the past, when the Lions were on television on Thanksgiving, you were tempted to change the channel to a parade. Now, they’re the parade.

I can’t stress this enough. I spent a lot of time covering those Sanders teams and the general belief then was that if the Lions had a good quarterback, they would have captured not just one Super Bowl, but multiple ones.

This is where Mitchell comes in. He played for the Lions from 1994-1998.

Mitchell saw the documentary, and the things people said or inferred about him, and he lost it in a post on Facebook. Let’s just say he gives the documentary zero stars. His comments are angry (while simultaneously funny) but also instructive. They show how far this franchise has come; from often the butt of jokes, to a franchise that has a legitimate shot at a championship.

‘I just watched ‘Bye Bye Barry’ on Amazon Prime,’ Mitchell wrote. ‘It was not a very pleasant experience. I was Barry Sanders teammate for five years. I had a front row seat to some of the most amazing plays in NFL history. He will never have an equal as a pure runner in the NFL. I could argue that their (sic) were several running backs that were more complete, but I won’t. Barry was great!’

I could argue that (there) were several running backs that were more complete, but I won’t.

But you kinda’ just did, Scott.

‘However, I am so tired of hearing how I was the reason that Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl,’ Mitchell stated. ‘I’m so tired of hearing how I was not a good QB. My only response is F–K YOU ALL!!!!! That includes Eminem (and) Jeff Daniels.’

Happy Thanksgiving to Eminem and Jeff Daniels!

Mitchell also targeted his then coach, Wayne Fontes.

‘I can’t even began (sic) to tell you what a disappointment it is to (hear) my own coach, Wayne Fontes, who went out in free agency and actively (pursued) me to the point of begging me to come to Detroit,’ Mitchell wrote, ‘say that he wanted Joe Montana or Warren Moon, and that the only thing that was missing from the team winning the Super Bowl was a quarterback. A little support from the coach might have gone a long way. Wayne never had my back!’

Mitchell wasn’t done.

‘Bottom line, Barry Sanders had everything in Detroit,’ he wrote. ‘Everyone loved him. Everything was built for Barry to succeed. In his 10 year career, he won one playoff game and the only reason he didn’t win more was everyone else was the problem? How many yards did Barry have in the playoffs in ’94, ’95, ’97? I’ll give you a hint not very many. We all are to blame for not winning a (Super Bowl) in Detroit even Barry Sanders.

‘I will believe until I die that had we been given more time and patience with the offense, and the talent we had we could have made a deep run in the playoffs and competed to win a Super Bowl.’

It would be unfair to say Mitchell was a completely failed quarterback in Detroit. In 1995, he threw for 4,338 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Lions went 10-6 that year. Overall, however, he was an erratic player for the Lions who failed to rise to the level of other players on offense. He was, without question, one of the most frustrating quarterbacks of his era. In his four years with the Lions he was 27-30 as a starter and 0-2 in the playoffs.

In the end, when you’re watching these Lions play on Thursday, this is a different group, and feel, from the Lions past. Even when they had Sanders, the Lions didn’t reach Super Bowls. Sanders kept them afloat but Sanders, as historic as he was, couldn’t save the franchise.

A franchise that now could win it all.

Dolly Parton is performing during the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium.

This is Parton’s first time performing on Thanksgiving. The show comes after her newest album ‘Rockstar’ was released on Nov. 17. It’s the first rock-and-roll album of her storied career.

The event will also be the opening act for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kickoff, a fundraising campaign, fittingly bringing the queen of philanthropy, Parton herself, to support the campaign.

Here is what you need to know about the performance.

When does Dolly Parton perform for Commanders-Cowboys?

Thursday’s game starts at 4:30 pm ET. The halftime performance will likely take place around 6 p.m. as NFL games typically last about three hours. Parton’s halftime show is set to last for over six minutes.

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

How to watch/livestream Dolly Parton’s halftime show

The performance will premiere on the CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network can be streamed on YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream. You can also watch CBS Sports Network on Fubo TV and Hulu.

Fans with cable can also watch on their local CBS channel.

Dolly Parton’s very busy 2023

On Saturday, Parton led Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in singing ‘Rocky Top’ at the end of the first quarter of the Vols’ game against Georgia.

Parton was led onto the stage by legendary Vols quarterback Peyton Manning. She was joined by Tennessee’s choir.

The stadium performance comes amid Parton’s very busy 2023 featuring her new album, updates to Dollywood and an exhibit featuring her iconic dresses.

If you tune into the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers game on Thanksgiving, you might catch a rare glimpse of Hall of Famer and Lions great Calvin Johnson at Ford Field. Then again, you probably won’t.

“I don’t necessarily go to games a lot,” Johnson, now 38, told USA TODAY Sports during an interview in August. “I go to like one or two a year, maybe, if old teammates are in town or if we got an event or something. I’m usually watching from our comfy couch.”

Johnson was never all about football, despite having a unique blend of strength, speed, size (he was 6-5, 240 pounds), athleticism, agility and soft hands that allowed him to become one of the NFL’s top receivers of all time.

He broke Jerry Rice’s single-season record for receiving yards with 1,964 in 2012. Three years later, he walked away from his playing career, near the height of his powers at 30 years old but feeling spent from the pounding his body and senses had taken.

Football wasn’t where he wanted to be “physically, mentally, emotionally” anymore, he said. And he valued the life he had — and his future — off the field, too. He wanted to get the best of both.

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

Now, the core values he learned through the game and other sports continue to guide him through his life while raising his own kids, who are just beginning their sports careers.

He learned these fundamental lessons long before he reached the heights of his physical prowess, and he said they’ve helped him achieve a high standard but also stand grounded as a sports dad. Here are five of them that you can share with your own athletes:

1. Remove the pressure

Johnson grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, one of four kids raised by Calvin Sr., a railroad conductor, and Arica, an educator. The family was academic-driven — his brother, Wali, is a general surgeon and his sister, Erica, has a Ph. D in biomedical science.

“Books first and sports second,” Johnson said his mother always told him. “You don’t come home with a B and above, you’re not gonna be playing any ball. …  So, for me, sports was definitely second to making sure I had my grades right.”

You might think Johnson himself was a phenom from the time he was 10. He wasn’t.  Like many of us, he was just a shy kid trying to figure himself out.

“I would say, honestly, it wasn’t until my high school years where I really got an understanding for where I could end up or be,” he said. “My coach really didn’t know, and my body didn’t catch up to where I wanted to be … physically or mentally because of the growth spurts for myself. So I needed to catch up.

“It was like my sophomore or junior year, really, when I gained confidence in my body and movements.”

Calvin’s games were ingrained in his life, but they were just a part of a period of self-discovery of what he could be. He takes a similar approach with his young sons Caleb, Calvin III and Carter.

He puts no pressure on them to play sports, he said, especially football. He won’t let them play tackle football until middle school.

“Too soon for that, honestly,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t want to force it on ’em or anything like that. They already gonna have a heavy weight.

“I haven’t done any coaching for them. I don’t necessarily think I will want to. … I’m not gonna push the kids. I’m gonna let ’em play what they want to play … But they’re gonna play team sports because I know that you earn great characteristics for just the rest of your life that you can use.”

2. You can always work as a team, no matter what game you play

When Johnson watches the Lions, who were 8-2 and atop the NFC North entering Thursday’s game, a top ingredient for their success is apparent.

“They’re playing as a team,” he told USA TODAY Sports earlier this week. “They’re playing complementary football. All three phases might be hitting each time, but they’re taking care of each other if one of them isn’t.”

College and professional teams are judged by wins and losses, and pro athletes are evaluated by individual statistics. Before then, your athletic career is more about developing yourself as a teammate.

“I would 100% recommend having your kids play multiple team sports, not just multiple sports,” Johnson said. “I think there’s something to being in a team sport — not that you can’t be great at individual sports, nothing’s wrong with that — but team sports tell you a little bit more about yourself than I think you can learn from individual sports because you’re working with other people. So 100% my kids will play multiple sports, team sports, and whether they take it all the way or not, they’ll be better off for the lessons learned during that time.”

So don’t bribe your kid to score the most points or grab the most rebounds. Instead, when you set goals for a sports team as a youth parent, coach or player, make them team-driven. Shoot for a high number of assists in basketball or to stay within one goal of each opponent in a competitive soccer league where your team isn’t expected to win.

‘Everyone won’t think the same,” Johnson said, “but as long as we have a goal that we’re all trying to accomplish together, we can move in the same direction. And when you’re able to do that with multiple people, it’s truly satisfying.”

As is often the case in sports, the team that plays together the best might win anyway.

COACH STEVE: What sons of famous major leaguers can teach sports parents

3. The best players don’t need to talk trash

“Johnson is the player who may return humility to elite wide receivers and who may sooth Commissioner Roger Goodell’s soul,” The New York Times’ Judy Battista wrote ahead of the 2007 draft, in which Johnson was selected No. 2 overall.

If you watched Johnson throughout his nine-year NFL career, he never trash-talked opponents like you routinely see other football players do.

Humility is a virtue. If you are the player who goes about your business without inflating yourself, you will stand out to coaches.

As you get older and want to play at the high school and college levels, those coaches will expect you to perform. Trash-talking opponents only elevates the pressure on yourself to perform, and it often motivates an opponent to get the better of you.

Let your play do your talking; not your mouth. When you win, act like you’ve won before and respectfully shake your oppoenent’s hand. When you lose, tell that same opponent “good job” and move on to the next game.

Keep your “talk” internal, reinforcing to yourself that you can do better. (If you have ever closed your eyes and visualized yourself having success, you know it can work.) When you speak, encourage your teammates to do well.

‘The offense took a step up and defensively we took a step back,’ Campbell said after the Lions gave up 38 points Nov. 12 in a win over the Chargers. ‘But I know that we’re about to take three steps up again, I believe that. (Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is) going to get this thing right.’

4. Understand struggling is part of growth

During Johnson’s second season (2008), the Lions finished 0-16. During his last, he fumbled at the goal line near the end of a game and the Lions lost.

He performed consistently well, though, throughout his career, in which the team went 54-90 and made the playoffs twice.

“Nobody builds anything great without going through a struggle first,” he said. “So just continuously getting up to perfect your craft, being able to persevere due to hard times, I think that’s one of the biggest things that I think that came from sports to me.”

You’re likely to be at plenty of games where your kid’s team loses. You’ll be defined by how you emerge.

Think about that final game, or final season, you put everything into as a kid. Having sons who play baseball, mine was the 12-year-old Little League year. It’s the one where your son or daughter is likely to be one of the stronger players as one of the elders in the league and you have chance for your town to reach the Little League World Series.

Two lasting memories stand out to me about that year for kids in our community, and neither of them have to do with a team that won the championship. Both instances involved a 12-year-old player who made a mistake that cost his team his last Little League game.

In one case, a player yelled loudly at his distraught teammate: “What are you doing?!” In the other, a player walked over to the kid who made the mistake and simply put his arm around him.

Your sports career is temporary and life will have its ups and downs, but you are always yourself.

5. Don’t ever give up. No matter what you do, persevere

“The game is such a physical game, but it’s not as hard core as I feel like it was when I was playing,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports this week. “As a receiver, I’m sitting here watching them throw these flags when the DB is touching the guy downfield. He might barely bump into the guy but they’re throwing flags all the time when everyone’s getting contact beyond five yards.

“I’m like, ‘Where was this at when I was playing?’ I was dragging guys up and down the field like 20 yards.’ ”

It was a show of emotion from Johnson, a man who defines himself by keeping his cool. The statement, and the hard-nosed way he played, also reflects one of Johnson’s favorite qualities: Perseverance.

It’s a characteristic in people he likes to highlight when he speaks to kids who are part of his foundation about chasing their goals, not matter how unattainable they seem.

He witnessed the importance of that message during a September visit to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in Atlanta. 

‘It’s like a reality check for us that don’t have cancer because when you’re able to hear those stories of the comeback from those people that are stuck with it and what they’ve done,’ Johnson said at the time. ‘So, perseverance and the ability to keeping pushing and getting back up is definitely something that’s translatable on and off field.”

One of the children Johnson met with during his hospital visit, 16-year-old Riley Nutt, recently had a long-awaited bone marrow transplant. Her father, Brian Nutt, told me Wednesday the cells she received from her younger sister, Mackenzie, are working. Riley is recovering.

“We are having a small Thanksgiving tomorrow,” Brian told me, “but hope for an even better one next year.”

As Johnston says, there’s nothing like perseverance.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for a high schooler and middle schooler. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

The California men’s basketball program has asked officials at the SoCal Challenge holiday tournament to bar a fan who allegedly called senior forward Fardaws Aimaq a ‘terrorist.’

Aimaq was later shown in a video going toward a fan in the stands following the Golden Bears’ 75-72 loss to UTEP on Monday.

Cal coach Mark Madsen said he was ‘disturbed that Fardaws was allegedly on the receiving end of such language,’ but added he didn’t want Aimaq confronting the fan and will be disciplined for doing so.

‘Throughout and after Monday’s game, Fardaws Aimaq was allegedly subjected to abhorrent and offensive comments from a fan − including being called a terrorist,’ Madsen said. ‘I have asked the SoCal Challenge tournament director that a formal investigation be conducted and that this fan be barred from the premises.’

The 24-year-old Aimaq, whose parents are Afghan refugees, is averaging 16 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for California, and previously played at Texas Tech, Mercer, and was with Madsen at Utah Valley before he took the Cal job.

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‘Event organizers were made aware of the issue by Cal representatives on Wednesday morning,’ tournament organizers said in a statement. ‘Security has been briefed to strictly enforce the policy and an internal investigation is ongoing related to Monday’s events.” 

Aimaq had 23 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday’s loss to Tulane in the tournament’s third-place game. Cal next plays San Diego State at home on Saturday.

Thanksgiving is more than family gatherings, big dinners and NFL tripleheaders. It’s a time when NHL teams have a good feel whether they’ll make the playoffs.

From the start of the salary cap era in 2005 until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 75% of the teams that were in a playoff position on Thanksgiving ended up making the playoffs that season. That continued in the last two full NHL seasons with four non-playoff-positioned teams ending up in the playoffs in 2021-22 and three making it last season.

There have been notable comebacks, especially the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues. They were last in the Central Division at Thanksgiving and last overall on Jan. 2 before winning the Stanley Cup, thanks to a coaching change and the arrival of goalie Jordan Binnington.

Here are the standings at Thanksgiving, with an analysis of whether a team will make the playoffs:

Eastern Conference

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

New York Rangers (13-3-1): Artemi Panarin is surging, Alexis Lafreniere is breaking out and Adam Fox could come back soon. Prediction: Playoff team.

Washington Capitals (10-4-2): New coach Spencer Carbery keeps this team winning even though Alex Ovechkin has started slowly, T.J. Oshie just got his first goal of the season, the power play is struggling and Nicklas Backstrom has taken a leave of absence to address his hip issues. Prediction: 50-50 playoff team.

Carolina Hurricanes (11-7-0): They’re rebounding from a slow start. A Rod Brind’Amour-coached team isn’t likely to miss the postseason. Prediction: Playoff team.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Boston Bruins (14-1-3): They’re around the same pace as their record-setting 2022-23 season despite the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Having David Pastrnak, strong defense and goaltending helps. Prediction: Playoff team.

Florida Panthers (12-6-1): They thrived despite missing defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad for a month. Their return makes the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy winners and 2022-23 Stanley Cup finalists even stronger. They’re rumored to be in the Patrick Kane sweepstakes. Prediction: Playoff team.

Tampa Bay Lightning (9-6-5): They’re in a playoff spot with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy getting close to returning from back surgery. If he’s anywhere close to form, the Lightning will take off. Prediction: Likely playoff team.

WILD CARDS

Toronto Maple Leafs (10-5-2): William Nylander’s hot start will earn him a big raise. The team defense needs to be better. Prediction: Playoff team.

Detroit Red Wings (9-6-3): They started strong but began fading. Getting only one point in Sweden didn’t help but they looked good beating the Devils in their first game back. Prediction: Could drop out.

THE REST

Philadelphia Flyers (10-8-1): They’re healthier this season, so they might avoid last season’s slumps. But this team is still rebuilding and GM Danny Briere might be unwilling to be aggressive at the trade deadline, unlike his rivals. Prediction: 50-50 playoff team.

New York Islanders (7-6-5): The Islanders stood pat last summer and their offense is near the bottom of the league. Vezina Trophy finalist Ilya Sorokin hasn’t been as strong as last season, though he put together a solid game on Wednesday. Prediction: Likely lottery team unless Sorokin puts together a streak.

Pittsburgh Penguins (9-9-0): Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are thriving and newcomer Erik Karlsson has been as advertised. But the power play is subpar and they’re starting to deal with injury issues. Prediction: 50-50 playoff team.

Buffalo Sabres (8-9-2): The Sabres hope to end their 12-year playoff drought, but Tage Thompson is injured and none of their three goalies has claimed the No. 1 spot. Prediction: Likely lottery team.

SABRES: Zach Benson’s first NHL goal is jaw-dropping

Montreal Canadiens (8-9-2): They have some good younger players, but they’re continuing to rebuild and will be trade deadline sellers. Prediction: Lottery team.

New Jersey Devils (8-8-1): They’ve been hurt by major injuries and inconsistent goaltending. But Jack Hughes is back and Nico Hischier has resumed practice: Prediction: Playoff team if they can turn it around soon.

Ottawa Senators (8-7-0): They have plenty of talent, have games in hand and are playing better after a slow start. Prediction: Will challenge for a playoff spot, might fall short.

Columbus Blue Jackets (5-11-4): Patrik Laine was a healthy scratch, Johnny Gaudreau has been benched, Damon Severson is hurt and they gave up a 2-on-0 shorthanded goal. Prediction: Lottery team.

Western Conference

CENTRAL DIVISION

Dallas Stars (12-4-2): They can get scoring from their top three lines and play a strong defensive game. Prediction: Playoff team.

Colorado Avalanche (12-6-0): They have plenty of wins and some ugly losses. The 2022 champions are contenders, even if the Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin signings have yet to pay off. Do they try to sign Kane? Prediction: Playoff team.

Winnipeg Jets (11-5-2): The signings of Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck before training camp eliminated distractions. Those two and Kyle Connor are off to impressive starts. Prediction: Playoff team.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Vegas Golden Knights: (14-4-2): No Stanley Cup hangover. The Golden Knights lead the Western Conference. Prediction: Playoff team.

Vancouver Canucks (13-6-1): Quinn Hughes has a chance to win both the Norris Trophy and Hart Trophy if he keeps up this pace. Prediction: Playoff team.

Los Angeles Kings (11-3-3): Forward Quinton Byfield is having a breakout in his third season. Veteran goalie Cam Talbot is thriving on a one-year, $1 million contract and the team is 8-0 on the road. Prediction: Playoff team.

WILD CARD

St. Louis Blues (10-7-1): Which team are they? The one that beat the Avalanche (8-2) and Lightning (5-0) in back-to-back games or the one that followed that up with a 5-1 loss to the last-place Sharks? Prediction: Could drop out.

Seattle Kraken (8-8-5): Last year’s surprise team has rediscovered its offense after struggling to find goals. Prediction: Playoff team.

THE REST

Anaheim Ducks (9-10-0): Great young talent, especially Mason McTavish, and recently added veterans. But a four-game losing streak shows they’re not ready to go from last overall to a playoff spot. Prediction: Likely lottery team.

Arizona Coyotes (8-9-2): They made a big jump last season. A three-game losing streak has dropped them below .500. Prediction: Likely lottery team.

Calgary Flames (7-9-3): The Flames could be major sellers if they look like they won’t make the playoffs: Prediction: Lottery team.

Nashville Predators (8-10-0): They have been inconsistent but have won three in a row after a four-game losing streak. Prediction: Will push for a playoff spot.

Minnesota Wild: (5-8-4): Their numbers are down across the board from last season’s 103-point team and they have the league’s worst penalty kill. Prediction: Lottery team.

Edmonton Oilers (5-12-1): A true disappointment. Touted by some as a potential Stanley Cup champion, they have struggled. Jack Campbell was demoted, there was a coaching change and it hasn’t changed their fortunes. They need to trade for a goalie to have any chance. Prediction: Lottery team.

Chicago Blackhawks (5-12-0): Rookie Connor Bedard has been as advertised, but the team lacks depth. Prediction: Lottery team.

San Jose Sharks (3-15-1): The number of blowout losses might have been a surprise, but this team is right where it should be. Prediction: Lottery team.