Texas was just one yard from tying the Cotton Bowl but a failed sweep and subsequent sack and fumble clinched the game for Ohio State.
What happened on Texas’ failed toss sweep? Steve Sarkisian points to blocking, while Ohio State player says film study prepared Buckeyes for that play.
Big plays swing College Football Playoff semifinal in Ohio State’s favor

ARLINGTON, Texas – Steve Sarkisian got cute, but it sure didn’t look pretty.

Sarkisian earns acclaim for being one of the nation’s premier play callers, but he fell into a familiar coaching trap Friday of trying to show just how very smart he is with a play sheet in his hands.

Only, Ohio State’s defense made Sarkisian look foolish at the close of the Buckeyes’ 28-14 victory in the Cotton Bowl.

The scene: First-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Texas trailed by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns needed to move three feet to tie this College Football Playoff semifinal.

First down: Texas audibles into a Power-I formation, but Ohio State stuffs a run up the middle.

No harm. Three more tries for three feet.

Second down: Sarkisian goes way too deep into his bag. He calls a toss sweep off left tackle out of the shotgun formation. The Buckeyes had it defended, dead to rights. Safety Caleb Downs shot into the backfield untouched and nearly ended the play then and there.

Texas ball carrier Quintrevion Wisner escaped Downs, but he made no headway toward the end zone, as his run pushed further to the sideline. Safety Lathan Ransom pinballed off Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Ransom wrapped up Wisner 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

That’s how you go from first-and-1 to third-and-8.

Two plays later, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer ended Texas’ comeback hopes with a strip-sack of Quinn Ewers. Sawyer scooped up the fumble and lugged his prize 83 yards into the end zone.

“Just a miraculous play,” linebacker Cody Simon said of Sawyer’s strip-sack and score. “That moment is going to live in history forever.”

Absolutely, it will, but Texas got off into the weeds two plays previously, when Ransom’s tackle for loss put the Longhorns behind the 8-ball.

Steve Sarkisian defends play call that sent Texas in reverse

Sarkisian stood by his toss sweep play call.

“That’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone,” Sarkisian said. “We didn’t.”

Sarkisian didn’t fool Ohio State, either.

To hear Downs tell it, the Buckeyes were ready for that toss sweep.    

“You could see it on film,” Downs said. “They like that play when big moments come up.”

No sooner had Ewers received the snap than Downs made a beeline for Wisner. Downs pushed Wisner off course before Ransom cleaned up the tackle.

“They’ve done that throughout the year – crack tosses to the boundary,” Downs said. “I’m just happy that, when I missed the tackle, Lathan made it.”

Ransom’s reflexes weren’t quite as quick as Downs’ right after the snap, but he wasn’t far behind his teammate. Ransom didn’t let Banks, Texas’ hulking tackle whom NFL scouts like, slow him up for long.

“No one really loafs into big plays,’ Simon said. ‘He pulled his trigger and made a huge play.’

What went wrong on that second-down run, from Wisner’s perspective?

“I’m not even sure,” the Texas running back said.

Not his fault. He never had a chance.

“If you give us an inch, we’ll defend it,” Simon said. “That was the epitome of that right there.”

Big plays give Ohio State the edge on Texas in Cotton Bowl

Texas never led this game, but it battled against an opponent that’s emerged throughout the playoff as the front-runner to win the national championship. Midway through the fourth quarter, the score stood knotted at 14.

“They made their plays when it counted most,” Texas linebacker David Gbenda said.

Such as quarterback Will Howard’s 18-yard run on a fourth-down play to set up the Buckeyes’ go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

Or, TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

Texas had tied the score at 7 before kicking a touchback with 29 seconds left before halftime. Ohio State could go into the locker room tied, but why not try something safe and see what happened?

Any football novice knows to expect a screen in that situation. Sure enough, Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly dialed one up.

And, sure enough, Texas fell for it.

Ohio State’s two offensive tackles stayed home to block, while the Buckeyes’ three interior linemen leaked forward to block for the screen. Four Texas defenders rushed toward Howard while the screen slowly developed. At the final moment, Howard flipped a completion to Henderson. The Buckeyes had Texas walled off.

Henderson found the seam and, boom, he was gone. Gone for a score, untouched.

“He’s one of the fastest people I’ve ever seen,” Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said of Henderson.

Texas’ defense looked creaky on that screen pass, before its blocking became “leaky,” as Sarkisian put it, on that second-down toss sweep one yard from the end zone, two quarters later.

But, why call a high-risk run to the boundary on second down?

Earlier in the game, Sarkisian effectively dialed up a quarterback run for backup quarterback Arch Manning to move the chains on fourth down during a drive that ended in a touchdown. Reinserting Manning might have worked near the goal line. Or, another run or two inside the tackles might have done the trick.

We’ll never know. We do know the Buckeyes weren’t the slightest bit duped by a toss sweep that probably seemed clever to Sarkisian when he called it, but looked awfully silly and sloppy in action.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinn Ewers was drifting left, looking toward the goal line, his eyes locked on Texas’ last chance. There was no time to peek back at which defensive monster was bearing down on him from the blind side, but he already knew it was Jack Sawyer.

Of course it was. 

For four months in the fall of 2021, they had been roommates at Ohio State. They had been close. And now here they were, physically closer than ever but emotionally separated by jerseys and traumas and the chance for redemption that only one of them would be able to cash in. 

This breathtaking College Football Playoff had placed these two teams, and these two players, in a moment that only sports can create. Even among friends, there can only be one winner. 

It was one play within a 60-minute game within a month of postseason football within a 16-game season within years of colliding narratives about coaching decisions and reputations and what it means to be burdened by a specific kind of failure. 

And it was everything. 

This time, it was Sawyer ripping the ball away, rumbling 83 yards down the sideline, an Ohio kid clinching the Buckeyes’ spot in the national championship game when they were left for dead in December. 

“We heard a lot of things,” Sawyer said. “We kept swinging.” 

And this time, it was Ewers on his stomach, a Texas kid watching helplessly as a national semifinal slipped away from the Longhorns for a second straight year. 

This time, it was Ohio State 28, Texas 14. 

“It sucks,” Ewers said. “He’s a great player, great individual, great person. So, you know, it sucks.”

They did not award a national championship here on Friday night, even though it kind of seemed like it. That will happen on Jan. 20 in Atlanta, when the Buckeyes face Notre Dame in another matchup of mega-brands and storylines deserving of its own due.

But now, in this sport, there are no coronations. Every step toward a championship feels like an epic, and every failure a cataclysm. 

Ohio State could not have won this game and cannot win a national title without unloading an unimaginable amount of emotional baggage. And Texas could not have lost it without wounds getting picked at until they bled. 

A year ago, Ewers had a ball in the air that would have sent the Longhorns to the national championship game. It was never caught, and everyone in the program vowed to come back and make it right. 

And here, in this very same building, Ohio State had to suffer the indignity of losing a meaningless Cotton Bowl to Missouri while Michigan — the program that had lodged itself in the Buckeyes’ collective heads — went on to win the title a handful of days later. 

“No great accomplishments are ever achieved without going through adversity,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “That’s just the truth. And we’ve gone through our share of adversity, and that’s life.”

You can thumb your nose if you want at the notion of adversity for a football coach who makes $10 million a year and a roster of elite athletes collectively making $20 million playing a game that many of them will go on to make their careers. 

But this is what they do. This is the world in which they live. And it can be cruel. It can hurt, especially when the narrative that they have failed feeds on itself year after year after year. 

“Football is not meant to be easy,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s a tough sport. It’s physically grueling. It’s mentally grueling. But I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”

Sarkisian, too, knows what it’s like to be the avatar of a football-mad state’s expectations and the subject of its ire. Or, at least, he will now. 

Three plays before the collision between Sawyer and Ewers, Texas had the ball in first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. The clock had just ticked under four minutes to play. Ohio State had taken a 21-14 lead moments earlier, but Texas was on the doorstep, ready to surely tie the game. The Buckeyes’ defense looked gassed.

“We talked before the game about, how do you leave a legacy?” Day said, but it wasn’t only Ohio State’s legacy on the line. At that very moment, it felt like any outcome was possible. 

On first down, Texas couldn’t stuff the ball into the end zone by running inside. Ohio State had brought in its biggest defensive personnel, daring the Longhorns to take the ball to the perimeter.

Then Sarkisian, who had called a near-perfect second half to get Texas in position to win, made the most consequential play-call of the entire college football season. 

“We didn’t get much movement at all, and we had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Sarkisian said. “I can’t quite tell where it got leaky, but you know, it’s one of those plays that if you block it right, you get in the end zone. And we didn’t.”

Not even close. Texas’ pitch to running back Quintrevion Wisner didn’t just go nowhere — it went seven yards backward. In the blink of an eye, Texas had gone from a few feet away from tying the game to a desperate situation with only two plays to score. Time was running out, nearing the two-minute mark. This was all the Longhorns really had left. 

And then Sawyer straight-up took it from them. Disaster. 

That is the burden Texas and Sarkisian will carry the next time they arrive at this stage. And it’s the burden that Ohio State has never been closer to shedding forever. 

“What means the most to me is that we’re going to compete for a national championship now, which is something I’ve always dreamed of bringing back to Columbus since I was a kid throwing the football in the backyard with my dad and an Ohio State jersey on,” Sawyer said. “And I was fortunate to make a big-time play like a lot of guys did all night long.”

Now all that’s left is one more game to wash away the stench of disappointment they’ve had to live in after four straight season-defining losses to Michigan. Sixty more minutes to never have to hear that Day is overmatched and intimidated by the chair he sits in, even if it was never really true. Just 10 more days to hear about what hasn’t been done and celebrate what they did.

But they have to win. There’s no other option. 

“We’ve got to finish this thing, and they know it,” Day said. 

It’s better that it happened the way it did Friday night. In its first two playoff games, Ohio State cruised to wins over Tennessee and No. 1 seed Oregon, looking like an unstoppable juggernaut on its way to a coronation. 

But that’s not reality in a sport of tiny margins at the highest level. In the end, it’s the tension — and performing with the excruciating pressure of the stakes hanging over your head — that ultimately validates you as much as the trophy itself. 

“It’s really a one-and-done mentality. It’s adopting what the basketball guys have (in the NCAA tournament),” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “You made the tournament, now survive and advance. And that’s our mindset. We knew (after the Michigan loss) that everything was ahead of us.” 

What’s truly on the horizon, though, is always vague. When the teams are this good and there’s so much on the line, the moment doesn’t present itself until you can literally feel it breathing down your neck. 

“I thought I was going to be able to get the ball off,” Ewers said. “Obviously, you know, it’s not like I tried to give him the game.”

Instead, Sawyer took it: To the end zone, to Atlanta for one more game and maybe to history. 

For some teams who want to contend for an NBA championship, the status quo won’t work.

The question teams are facing: Is the right deal out there that satisfies the need to improve without giving up too much in return and retain financial flexibility?

It’s a delicate balance in today’s NBA, and the league’s new collective bargaining agreement and salary cap rules have more restrictions on the type of deals teams can make. It’s a new world of roster construction.

“As one GM told me after the Dorian Finney-Smith trade to the (Los Angeles) Lakers, expect more singles and doubles, less triples and home runs when it comes to transactions,” ESPN NBA front-office insider Bobby Marks said in a recent roundtable discussion.

Still, players are available.

Let’s look at 10 players who could be moved before the Feb. 6 trade deadline:

(Stats through games of Jan. 9)

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler

The Heat-Butler saga could extend beyond the trade deadline. The Heat don’t have to trade him. They suspended Butler seven games for conduct detrimental to the team and acknowledged that Butler asked for a trade. Butler, 35, seeks one last significant contract.

∎Contract situation: Butler is under contract through 2025-26 at $52.4 million but has a player option giving him the ability to become a free agent after this season.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram

When addressing Ingram’s contract at the start of the season, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said the team faces “economic realities.” The Pelicans may not be in position to re-sign him in free agency, so a trade is a possibility.

∎Contract situation: Ingram is in the final season of a five-year, $158.2 million deal that pays him $36 million in 2024-25.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma

The Wizards signed Kuzma with the idea that they could trade him at the appropriate time, and it’s a team friendly deal with an annual salary that decreases. He can’t become a free agent until the summer of 2027.

∎Contract situation: Kuzma is in the second season of a four-year, $90 million contract.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine

Teams in need of a scoring guard are focused on LaVine, who averages 23.3 points and is shooting career-best percentages from the field (51.2%) and in 3-pointers (44.4%).

∎Contract situation: LaVine is in the third season of a five-year, $215.1 million contract but has a player option following the 2025-26 season, allowing him to become a free agent in the summer of 2026.

Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas

This was a savvy offseason signing by the Wizards. They got a veteran big man who can help younger players, they paid him and if the right situation presents itself, they can trade him. The Wizards are looking for draft picks.

∎Contract situation: Valanciunas received a three-year, $30.2 million contract in July in a sign-and-trade with New Orleans. He is a free agent in the summer of 2027.

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic

Vucevic is still producing and doing it efficiently: 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting career-highs from the field (55.3%) and on 3-pointers (42.4%).

∎Contract situation: Vucevic is in the second season of a three-year, $60 million contract. He is a free agent after the 2025-26 season.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson

Trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft? The player who averages 24.6 points and shoots 58.8% from the field for his career? Injuries have limited Williamson to just two full seasons. He missed an entire season (2021-22) and has played just seven games this season. A fresh start for team and player isn’t irrational.

∎Contract situation: Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, $197.2 million extension and is under contract through 2027-28. However, the contract is not fully guaranteed based on games played and weight.

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox

With frustration compounding in Sacramento, Fox may not be with the Kings for much longer. Whether he switches teams at the trade deadline or after the season, we will see. But there’s a market for a player who does what Fox does: 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% from the field.

∎Contract situation: Fox is in the fourth season of a five-year, $163 million contract and will be a free agent after the 2025-26 season.

Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson

Johnson is having a breakout season with career highs in points (19.5 per game), field goal percentage (.496) and free throw percentage (.895) and a strong 3-point percentage (.436). The Nets remain in the market for first-round picks in return, and Johnson’s contract has value.

∎Contract situation: Johnson is in the second season of a four-year, $94.5 million contract, and he hits free agency in the summer of 2027.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga

If the Warriors make a trade deadline deal, Kuminga likely will be part of a package exiting Golden State. He’s a player teams want. Late last month, he had back-to-back 34-point games and he’s just 22 years old.

∎Contract situation: Kuminga is in the final season of his four-year, $24.8 million rookie contract and is a restricted free agent after this season.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

Lindsey Vonn finished in sixth place Saturday in her first World Cup downhill race since 2019 as she continues her return to racing at age 40.

Vonn, skiing on a familiar mountain in St. Anton, Austria, finished 58 hundredths of a second behind Federica Brignone of Italy. Vonn accomplished the feat despite starting 32nd, a disadvantage because course conditions worsen as the competition continues.

‘It was fun,’ Vonn said. ‘I love being back in the start and I know this hill really well so I knew the challenges that would come today and was ready to execute.’

She led a contingent of three American women to place in the top 15, joining Lauren Macuga (ninth) and Breezy Johnson (11th).

Vonn won the gold medal in the downhill at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, and 43 of her 82 World Cup wins came in the discipline. Her most recent win was in March 2019.

She underwent partial knee-replacement surgery on her left knee in April, with titanium pieces inserted. Saturday’s race was the second of her comeback; she finished 14th in the super-G on Dec. 21.

Vonn will race in the super-G in St. Anton on Sunday, then move on to Cortina in Italy next weekend.

She has stated her goal is to compete in the Milan Cortina Games in 2026, which would be her fifth Olympics. She has three Olympic medals in all.

It isn’t just about the Houston Texans playing in the opening game of wild-card weekend, which has happened frequently throughout the franchise’s history. The first contest of the NFL postseason will also be broadcast on Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon – a sister network of CBS with programming designed for children and adolescents – has broadcast an NFL game every year since 2021. CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus had approached the league with the idea as a way to market football to a younger audience while teaching them about key concepts of the game.

The first Nickelodeon simulcast – the 2021 wild-card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears – was a rousing success. That led the network to continue broadcasting one game per year while adding a weekly show called ‘NFL Slimetime’ to its programming catalog.

Nickelodeon has often incorporated its most iconic traditions into its NFL broadcasts. This included superimposed slime on the field, appearances from its most notable stars and commentary from the networks most recognizable characters, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star.

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

Here’s what to know about the NFL on Nickelodeon’s history and how to watch the alternate broadcast to start the 2025 playoffs.

What is the Nickelodeon wild card game 2025?

Matchup: Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: NRG Stadium

Nickelodeon’s NFL broadcast for the 2025 playoffs will be the first game of the postseason. The AFC South-winning Texans are hosting the conference’s top wild-card team, the Chargers, in a battle to advance to the divisional round.

Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, who finished the 2024 NFL season with an 11-6 record, are slight favorites over the home team Texans, who logged a 10-7 record to win the AFC South for a second consecutive season.

What time is the Nickelodeon wild card game?

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET 

The Texans vs. Chargers game will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. There will be no additional pregame coverage of the contest on Nickelodeon, as the movie ‘Trolls’ will be shown on the network in the lead-up to the playoff game.

CBS’ pregame coverage of the event will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET with its broadcast of ‘The NFL Today.’

Nickelodeon wild card game live stream

Live stream: Paramount+, Fubo

NFL fans can catch the Texans vs. Chargers game with a subscription to Paramount+, which is CBS and Nickelodeon’s streaming service. Cord-cutters can also catch the action with a subscription to Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Stream NFL games with a Fubo subscription

NFL on Nickelodeon announcers

Nate Burleson is going to be leading the NFL on Nickelodeon broadcast, as he has since the inception of the program.

However, he won’t be paired with a traditional announcer group. Instead, he’ll broadcast the game alongside Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, who voice SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star respectively. The two will perform as the iconic characters as part of the broadcast and will be shown as animated versions of them. Burleson will also be animated, but as himself.

The broadcast will have two reporters on the sideline: NFL Slimetime’s Dylan Schefter (daughter of ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and SpongeBob SquarePants character Sandy Cheeks, voiced by Carolyn Lawrence.

Rules and penalties will be explained by Dora The Explorer (voiced by Diana Zermeño).

NFL on Nickelodeon history

Nickelodeon’s wild-card broadcast of the Texans vs. Chargers game will be the network’s sixth NFL game since 2021. The games have exclusively been broadcast during the postseason or on Christmas Day during the program’s history. It also broadcast Super Bowl 58, which was aired by its sister network CBS.

Here’s a look at the games Nickelodeon has broadcast:

Jan. 10, 2021: New Orleans Saints 21, Chicago Bears 9
Jan. 16, 2022: San Francisco 49ers 23, Dallas Cowboys 17
Dec. 25, 2022: Los Angeles Rams 51, Denver Broncos 14
Dec. 25, 2023: Las Vegas Raiders 20, Kansas City Chiefs 14
Feb. 11, 2024: Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22 (OT)
Jan. 11, 2025: Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers

NFL playoffs schedule

The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

Wild card weekend

All times Eastern

Saturday, Jan. 11

Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 12

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

Monday, Jan. 13

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 18

AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 19

AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.

NFL conference championship round

Sunday, Jan. 26

NFC championship game: 3 p.m.
AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 59

Date: Feb. 9, 2025
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: FOX

The Atlanta Hawks’ home game scheduled for Saturday against the Houston Rockets has been postponed because of a winter storm, the NBA announced.

The league said the game would be rescheduled and announced at a later time, adding the decision to postpone the game was ‘made in consultation with local officials and to prioritize the safety of the players, fans, and staff due to the severe weather and hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area.’

The Rockets are already in town and return to Texas for a home game on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Atlanta’s next game is at home, scheduled for Tuesday at State Farm Arena against the Phoenix Suns.

Winter Storm Cora has already wreaked havoc over the southern portion of the United States, dumping inches of snow and causing freezing on roads around Atlanta, where more 80,000 people were without electricity early Saturday morning.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

All things Hawks: Latest Atlanta Hawks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

With each College Football Playoff victory, Ohio State keeps proving it’s one of the nation’s premier teams, no matter its seed.
Jack Sawyer’s strip-sack and touchdown secures Buckeyes victory in Cotton Bowl and leaves Texas stunned.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame will be a matchup of teams that lost headscratching games in the regular season, before each righted itself.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The monstrous video board inside AT&T Stadium showed a Texas fan at a loss for words, unable to accept what she’d just seen.

Finally, she spoke.

“Holy (expletive),” she said, in a daze, while Ohio State fans celebrated.

That just happened.

A Texas drive that reached the 1-yard line ended in a Buckeyes touchdown going the other direction.

Game over.

Ohio State to the national championship game.

Texas to the offseason.

The Buckeyes didn’t make this 28-14 Cotton Bowl victory easy on themselves, but Jack Sawyer removed them from harm’s way with a strip-sack of Quinn Ewers late in the fourth quarter.

Sawyer scooped up the pigskin, rumbled 83 yards, took away Texas’ chance to tie the game, and secured the victory for Ohio State.

Holy crapola.

Ohio State shows mettle, even as juggernaut doesn’t show up

No juggernaut showed up in this College Football Playoff semifinal, just a team that showed enough fourth-quarter mettle to turn back Texas.

In a 12-team playoff that required Ohio State to win four games to claim the crown, the Buckeyes would need to win a game without their best fastball.

This was it.

Survive. Advance. Not all victories are meant for the Louvre.

Ohio State’s first two playoff triumphs became gold stars that repositioned the Buckeyes into front-runner status.

This takedown of Texas stood as no golden performance, but it put another check in a box.

Buckeyes stand tall in Cotton Bowl fourth quarter

Quinshon Judkins put an index finger to his lips after scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth quarter run.

Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Texas had one final counterpunch in it.

Helped by two Ohio State pass interference penalties, Texas stood 3 feet from a game-tying score. Ohio State held the line on first down, before Texas called a risky toss sweep on second down that the Buckeyes blew up for a 7-yard loss. Following a third-down incompletion, Texas’ season came down to Ewers needing to complete the biggest pass of his career.

He never got the pass off. Sawyer made sure of that.

Notre Dame ought to take encouragement from this night. The Irish could hang with this Buckeyes team in the national championship game. Buckeyes fans, though, should take solace that Ohio State produced enough key plays in timely moments to survive one of the nation’s elite defenses.

Yeah, this wasn’t the same Ohio State team that stomped Tennessee or blasted Oregon, but, shush, because the Buckeyes prevailed against an opponent that just would not go away.

Never mind the Longhorns’ superior seeding, this is the result you expected if you’ve watched the Buckeyes in the postseason – just maybe not the way you expected it.

The menacing monster that showed up in the CFP’s first two rounds never showed his face here. In his place emerged a Buckeyes squad that had an answer each time Texas tied the game.

Ohio State endured drive-killing penalties and a Will Howard interception.

In a stunning loss to Michigan six weeks ago, Howard threw a second interception. Not this time. Instead, he sprinted 18 yards on a fourth-down draw that set up Judkins’ go-ahead score.

Sawyer handled the rest.

As the final seconds ticked off, Sawyer and coach Ryan Day celebrated on the sideline. Day patted Sawyer on the face, and the big defensive lineman, having recovered his breath from his long dash, smiled.

Holy moly, Buckeyes, you’re off to Atlanta.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

The NHL is back from its holiday break, and trades can resume after the lifting of the holiday roster freeze.

So far, there have been 15 trades, four coaching changes, plus extensions signed by Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, Alexis Lafreniere, Linus Ullmark and others. Other top players also remain eligible for extensions, including Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Brock Boeser.

There will be more trades as teams build toward a Stanley Cup run or make moves for their long-term future. The trade deadline is on March 7.

Follow along here this season for signings, trades, transactions and other news from the NHL:

Jan. 11: Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren goes on injured list

Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren went on the injured list Saturday, a day after he was knocked down in the crease and left a game. Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime checked Montreal’s Nick Suzuki, who collided with the goalie. Lindgren was stretching his neck as he got up. He left a few minutes later, replaced by Logan Thompson.

Lindgren and Thompson have been alternating starts this season. The Capitals called up Hunter Sheppard.

Jan. 10: Oilers’ Evander Kane has knee surgery

Evander Kane will need more time before he makes his season debut after he had knee surgery on Thursday. The Edmonton Oilers said Kane would need four to eight weeks of recovery time, which will pause his rehab from the abdominal surgery he had in September. Kane, 33, had 24 goals last season plus eight points in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He was unable to play the final five games of that round because he had been slowed in the playoffs by a sports hernia. He has another year left on his contract at a $5.125 million cap hit.

Also: The Utah Hockey Club called up Josh Doan after a lower-body injury to Dylan Guenther, who’s out indefinitely. … The Ottawa Senators signed forward Ridly Greig to a four-year, $13 million contract extension.

Jan. 9: Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Matt Rempe to return to lineup

New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said goalie Igor Shesterkin will start Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils. He had missed four games with an upper-body injury. Recently claimed Arthur Kaliyev will make his Rangers debut.

Rangers forward Matt Rempe will return from his eight-game suspension and play in the game. He had received a four-game suspension last season for a hit in a game against the Devils. He said he’ll have to pick and choose the hits he makes because of the previous suspensions. ‘If it’s any way in doubt, I’m feeling like I’ll err on the side of caution because I’m a marked man right now so I got to keep it clean,’ he told reporters.

Also: The Columbus Blue Jackets placed the team’s No. 3 scorer, Sean Monahan, on the injured list (upper body) and called up Owen Sillinger. … The Utah Hockey Club recalled goalie Connor Ingram from a conditioning stint. Last year’s Masterton Trophy winner for perseverance has missed 22 games.

Jan. 6: Rangers claim Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from Kings

Arthur Kaliyev, 23, had two seasons of double-digit goals, though he dropped to seven goals last season. He has yet to play in the NHL this season because of injury but completed a five-game conditioning stint. The former second-round pick averages about 12 minutes a game. He’ll likely fill a bottom-six role after the Rangers’ earlier trade of Kaapo Kakko.

Jan. 5: Ducks re-sign Frank Vatrano for three years

The Anaheim Ducks are often sellers leading up to the trade deadline, but they lock in their third-leading scorer, Frank Vatrano, for three years. He would have drawn a lot of interest if the Ducks had made him available. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the deal is worth $18 million but deferred money lowers the salary cap hit to $4.57 million. He scored 37 goals last season and has 20 points this season. He had a three-point night after the signing was announced.

Jan. 3: Bruins re-sign Mark Kastelic

The rugged forward’s deal averages $1.567 million a year. He was tied for the team lead with 76 penalty minutes and had 151 hits.

Dec. 31: Rangers placing Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, per reports

As if the New York Rangers’ problems were bad enough, they now will be without star goalie Igor Shesterkin for a while. ESPN reported that the team is placing him on the injured list with an upper-body injury and recalled Louis Domingue. Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren had checked Sam Bennett in the last game and the Florida Panthers forward collided with Shesterkin, who stayed in the game. The Rangers goalie recently signed an eight-year, $92 million contract that will make him the highest-paid netminder. The Rangers have lost four in a row and 15 of their last 19 games.

Dec. 28: Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche make trade

The Nashville Predators called up forward Vinnie Hinostroza, the American Hockey League’s leading scorer, then traded forward Juuso Parssinen to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche also get a 2026 seventh-round pick and the Predators get back forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick.

Hinostroza, a 374-game NHL veteran, signed a two-year deal with the Predators in the offseason but had spent the entire season in the AHL. So has Pavel. Parssinen had five points in 15 games with Nashville this season. The Predators and Avalanche swapped backup goaltenders earlier in the season.

Dec. 27: Avalanche give extension to Mackenzie Blackwood

The Colorado Avalanche gave goalie Mackenzie Blackwood a five-year extension 18 days after acquiring him in a trade. Terms weren’t disclosed, but reports said it was worth $5.25 million a year, up from the current cap hit of $2.35 million in his contract that expires this summer.

The Avalanche goaltending struggled at the beginning of the season, and Colorado traded Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators for Scott Wedgewood on Nov. 30. The Avalanche shipped out Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 for Blackwood.

Blackwood has gone 3-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .931 save percentage since arriving.

Also: Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, who’s tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Dec. 26: Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, hire Todd McLellan

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday after two-plus seasons and brought in veteran Todd McLellan to try to turn around the season.

McLellan, 57, who won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings as an assistant coach in 2008, was signed to a multi-year contract as the franchise’s 29th head coach. He has a 598-412-134 regular-season record over 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, making the playoffs nine times. He was with the Red Wings from 2005-08 and left after the championship season to join the Sharks.

Associate coach Bob Boughner also was fired, and Trent Yawney was hired as an assistant coach. The Red Wings had lost nine of their last 12 games to follow to seventh place in the Atlantic Division

Dec. 19: Bruins waive forward Tyler Johnson

The Boston Bruins placed forward Tyler Johnson on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the one-year contract he signed in November. That would make him free to pursue opportunities with other teams. Johnson had two points in nine games this season and the move follows the Bruins claiming Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers.

Dec. 18: Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Kraken

The New York Rangers get back defenseman Will Borgen and 2025 third- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick of 2019. The trade happened less than a day after Kakko complained about being a healthy scratch. ‘It’s just easy to take the young guy and put him out,’ he said Tuesday. ‘That’s how I feel.’

Kakko, 23, has never matched the expectation of being that high a pick, getting 40 points in his top season in 2022-23. He has 14 points this season and was named by Finland to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The trade is the second recent shake-up move by the sliding Rangers, who dealt captain Jacob Trouba, a defenseman, to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. Borgen, who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, had 20 or more points and averaged nearly 200 hits the past two seasons but has just two points and a minus-13 rating this season.

In other trades Wednesday:

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators swapped defensemen with Justin Barron, 23, heading to Nashville in exchange for Alexandre Carrier, 28. Carrier signed a three-year deal this offseason and the Predators save $2.6 million in cap space with the trade.
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman P.O. Joseph from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. Joseph will help the Penguins with defenseman Marcus Pettersson out with an injury. Joseph played his first four NHL seasons with Pittsburgh.

Dec. 18: Justin Schultz retires after 12 NHL seasons

Defenseman Justin Schultz, 34, who won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced his retirement after 12 seasons with four NHL teams. Originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008, he couldn’t reach terms with that team and joined the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent in 2012, making the all-rookie team. Schultz was traded to the Penguins in 2016 and won championships that season and the following season. He played two seasons each with the Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken, finishing his NHL career with 71 goals and 324 points in 745 games. Schultz signed to play in Switzerland this season but stepped down after eight games.

Dec. 14: Blues acquire Ducks’ Cam Fowler in trade

The St. Louis Blues give up minor league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick to land defenseman Cam Fowler, 33, who spent his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. St. Louis also gets a 2027 fourth-round pick and the Ducks retain about 38.5% of Fowler’s remaining salary.

The Blues, who will be without Torey Krug (ankle) this season, get a veteran defenseman who averages more than 21 minutes a game in ice time. Fowler was moved eight days after the Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba in a trade.

“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization,” general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class. … After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change.”

Also: The Boston Bruins claimed forward Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the New York Islanders. The Maine native had played for Boston College in 2018-19.

Dec. 13: Islanders waive Oliver Wahlstrom, Pierre Engvall

The New York Islanders have placed forwards Oliver Wahlstrom and Pierre Engvall on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The move happened after injured forwards Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair returned to practice. Engvall, who signed a seven-year contract in 2023, passed through waivers earlier this season and played six games in the American Hockey League. He has six points in 20 games. Wahlstrom, a 2018 first-round pick, has four points in 27 games.

Also: The Minnesota Wild claimed defenseman Travis Dermott off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The Wild placed defenseman Jake Middleton on long-term injured reserve after he was hit in the hand by a shot on Thursday night. … The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Keegan Kolesar to a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Dec. 12: Canucks’ J.T. Miller returns from personal leave

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller said he was returning from his personal leave and played Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. The Canucks announced his leave of absence on Nov. 19. The team went 5-3-2 while he was away.

Miller, who has 16 points in 17 games this season and topped 100 last season, said he wouldn’t answer questions about why he was away from the team.

‘I’m excited to play,’ he said. ‘I want to play and obviously a fun game against the defending champions. Just happy to be around the guys and looking forward to tonight.’

Miller skated a little more than 14 minutes, had two assists and won 60% of his faceoffs.

While he was away, he was named to Team USA for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Also: Anaheim Ducks forward Travis Zegras had surgery for torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to miss six weeks. … The Utah Hockey Club claimed defenseman Dakota Mermis off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dec. 10: Kevin Shattenkirk announces retirement

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk announced his retirement on Tuesday after 14 NHL seasons with seven teams. He won a Stanley Cup in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Drafted 14th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, he also played for the St. Louis Blues (five 40-point seasons), Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks before joining the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 for what would be his final season.

Shattenkirk, 35, finishes with 103 goals, 381 assists and 484 points in 952 career games, plus 48 points in 91 playoff games. He scored in overtime during Game 4 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Dec. 9: Avalanche land Mackenzie Blackwood in goalie trade with Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche’s season-opening goaltending tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen is out after a subpar start. Now they’re running with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood after separate trades with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, respectively.

The Blackwood trade is the latest one and includes forward Givani Smith and a draft pick going to Colorado, while forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks go to San Jose. Blackwood has a .904 save percentage to Georgiev’s .874, and he made 49 saves in his last game. Georgiev was pulled in his second-to-last start.

GOALIE SWAP: Full details of Avalanche-Sharks trade

Dec. 6: Rangers trade Jacob Trouba, extend Igor Shesterkin

The sliding New York Rangers dominated the news Friday by trading captain Jacob Trouba and giving Igor Shesterkin an eight-year extension that makes him the highest-paid NHL goalie.

The Rangers officially announced the extension on Saturday.

The Trouba trade happened first Friday with the Rangers getting back defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. But the biggest part is the Anaheim Ducks took on Trouba’s $8 million cap hit, giving the Rangers flexibility. Trouba, who has struggled this season and didn’t waive his no-trade clause this summer, adds a veteran presence to the young Ducks. He and new teammate Radko Gudas are two of the hardest hitters in the league.

Shesterkin will average $11.5 million in his new deal, according to reports, moving him past Carey Price ($10.5 million) as the top-paid goaltender. The Rangers rely heavily on Shesterkin, who faces a lot of high-danger shots.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens pulled off a minor trade. Forward Jacob Perreault, son of former NHL player Yanic Perreault, heads to Edmonton for defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer. … The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Brendan Lemieux on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract. He requested the move so he can pursue another opportunity, general manager Eric Tulsky told the team’s website.

Dec. 5: Blackhawks fire coach Luke Richardson

The last-place Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson. Anders Sorensen, coach of the Blackhawks’ Rockford IceHogs team in the American Hockey League, was named interim head coach.

The move happened with generational player Connor Bedard going through a sophomore slump and unhappy with his production. He recently ended a 12-game goal drought and didn’t make the Canadian roster for this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

‘As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary,’ general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement about the coaching move.

Richardson leaves Chicago with a 57-118-15 record.

Dec. 4: Stars’ Tyler Seguin to have hip surgery, miss 4-6 months

The Dallas Stars announced that forward Tyler Seguin will have surgery on his left hip on Thursday and is expected to miss four to six months. That timeline would have him out of the lineup until near the end of the regular season or into the playoffs. Seguin, 32, had been having a strong season, ranking third on the team with 20 points in 19 games.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF: Rosters announced

Nov. 30: Wild acquire defenseman David Jiricek from Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild acquired former first-round pick David Jiricek, 21, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes 22-year-old defenseman Daemon Hunt and a package of draft picks including a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick. Jiricek, a 2022 sixth-overall pick who had been sent to American Hockey League, will report to the Wild’s AHL team. The other picks heading to Columbus: 2026 third- and fourth-rounders and a 2027 second-rounder. The Wild get a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Nov. 30: Predators, Avalanche swap goaltenders

The Colorado Avalanche acquired backup goalie Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators for backup goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick. The Avalanche, who have the league’s third-worst team goals-against average, were expected to make some sort of goaltending move but not necessarily this one. Annunen, 24, has slightly better stats this season, but he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Wedgewood, 32, who was signed in the offseason and played five games for the Predators, has another year left on his contract.

Also: The NHL fined Boston’s Nikita Zadorov and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin $5,000 each for an exchange in Friday’s game. Zadorov poked Malkin with his stick from the bench, and the Penguins star responded with a slash toward the bench, hitting Mason Lohrei.

Nov. 25: Penguins acquire Philip Tomasino from Predators

Philip Tomasino (one point in 11 games) is the final year of his contract so the struggling Nashville Predators get something in return, a 2027 fourth-round pick. The equally struggling Pittsburgh Penguins get another person for their bottom six. The former first-round pick’s best season was 32 points as a rookie in 2021-22.

Nov. 24: Blues fire coach Drew Bannister, hire Jim Montgomery

In a surprising move, the St. Louis Blues on Sunday fired Drew Bannister after less than a year as coach, replacing him with former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.

The announcement from Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong comes with the team losing 13 of its first 22 games this year. Bannister had taken over for Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and had his interim tag removed at the end of the season.

Montgomery, a former assistant to Berube, has an overall regular-season record of 180-84-33 as a head coach with Boston and Dallas. He was just let go by the Bruins last week after they lost 12 of their first 20 games. – Steve Gardner

Nov. 22: Golden Knights sign Brett Howden to five-year extension

Forward Brett Howden will average $2.5 million in the five-year contract extension. He plays in the Vegas Golden Knights’ bottom six and has eight goals this season.

After the Golden Knights lost free agents Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup title team this summer, they’ve been working to get extensions done early. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb signed recently. Goalie Adin Hill and Keegan Kolesar also are pending unrestricted free agents from that championship team.

Also: Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle had surgery on his pelvis and will be out at last three months.

Nov. 21: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen to have knee surgery

This marks the fourth season in a row that Andersen has missed extended time. He was limited to 16 games last season with a blood-clotting issue and missed more than two months of 2022-23 with a lower-body injury. An injury kept him out of the 2022 playoffs.

Pyotr Kochetkov is the Hurricanes’ No. 1 goalie in Andersen’s absence. Andersen, 35, is in the final year of his contract.

Nov. 19: Canucks’ J.T. Miller out indefinitely for personal reasons

‘Right now, our sole focus is making sure that J.T. knows the entire organization is here to support him,’ general manager Patrik Allvin said. ‘Out of respect to J.T., we will have no further comment at this time.’

Miller ranks second on the Canucks and is their top-scoring forward with 16 points in 17 games. He scored 103 points last season.

Nov. 19: Boston Bruins fire coach Jim Montgomery

The Boston Bruins made Jim Montgomery the first coaching casualty of the 2024-25 NHL season, firing him less than two seasons after he was named coach of the year.

Associate coach Joe Sacco, a former Colorado Avalanche head coach, will take over behind the bench as the interim head coach.

The move came after a blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Montgomery, who was in the final year of his contract, was let go with the team sitting at 8-9-3 and sporting poor underlying numbers.

BRUINS: More details on coaching change

Nov. 19: Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin out with leg injury

Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record is temporarily on hold after the Washington Capitals star left Monday night’s game with an injury.

The team announced Tuesday that Ovechkin is week-to-week with an injury to his lower leg after he absorbed a leg-on-leg hit from Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during the third period.

Ovechkin had been on a torrid scoring pace this season. Before Monday’s injury, he had scored twice in the 6-2 win over Utah, giving him five goals in the last two games and a league-leading 15 goals in 18 games.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. He provides speed and depth to a team that hasn’t received much scoring from the wings this season.

Nov. 18: Islanders’ Mike Reilly to have procedure on heart

General manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters that the pre-existing heart condition was discovered during routine testing for a concussion that had sidelined the defenseman since Nov. 1.

‘It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired,’ Lamoriello said. ‘They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew.’

He said Reilly has been cleared from the concussion.

Nov. 15: Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin returns from suspension

Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin returned Friday night from his six-month suspension. He was suspended during the playoffs last May under Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He also was in the program for about two months earlier in the 2023-24 season and missed part of the 2023 playoffs for personal reasons. Nichushkin is a key offensive contributor with 28 goals in 54 games last season. Injured forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood also returned Friday.

Also: The Vegas Golden Knights signed defenseman Brayden McNabb, the franchise leader in games played, to a three-year contract extension that averages $3.65 million a year.

OILERS: Connor McDavid is fourth fastest to reach 1,000 points

Nov. 13: Sabres claim goalie James Reimer off waivers

The Buffalo Sabres claimed goaltender James Reimer off waivers, bringing him back to where he signed a free agent contract in the summer. Reimer was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks off waivers earlier this season when the Sabres tried to send him to the American Hockey League. The Ducks put him on waivers after the return of injured goalie John Gibson. Reimer, on a one-year, $1 million contract, played two games in Anaheim with a 4.50 goals-against average. No. 1 Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was hurt in Monday’s loss but hasn’t been ruled out for Thursday’s game.

Also: Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm will be out ‘weeks’ with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot, coach Jim Montgomery said.

Nov. 12: Capitals reacquire Lars Eller in trade with Penguins

Center Lars Eller, 35, is a familiar face for the Washington Capitals after playing in Washington from 2016-23 and winning a Stanley Cup there in 2018. He kills penalties and is strong in the faceoff circle. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ side of the trade might be more interesting. They get a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder, and this also could be an indication that the Penguins are shaking up the roster after a disappointing start. Eller’s trade will allow the team to give more ice time to younger players. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent.

Also: The Winnipeg Jets claimed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and loaned him to their American Hockey League affiliate. They had lost him on waivers to the Avalanche last month.

Nov. 11: Flames’ Anthony Mantha to have season-ending surgery

Also: The Colorado Avalanche placed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. They had claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last month.

Nov. 9: Penguins recall veteran goalie Tristan Jarry from minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled two-time All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry from his conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. Jarry was loaned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 26 after recording a 5.37 goals-against average and .836 save percentage. His AHL numbers were 2.16, .926.

Also: The Philadelphia Flyers made rookie Matvei Michkov a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game.

Nov. 8: Kraken acquire Daniel Sprong from Canucks

The Seattle Kraken landed Daniel Sprong, one of their former players, in exchange for future considerations. The Kraken have struggled to score this season and Sprong had 21 goals for them two seasons ago. The forward has scored double-digit goals five times. He had one goal with Vancouver this season.

Nov. 7: Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov to be healthy scratch

Coach John Tortorella called the move ‘part of the process.’

‘With young guys, they can watch games, too, as far as development,’ he told reporters. ‘It’s trying to help them.’

Michkov, 19, has 10 points in 13 games and a minus-8 rating and was NHL rookie of the month in October. He had just one point in his last five games and his ice time dropped in the last four.

Nov. 4: Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini ready to return from injury

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is ready to return to action after aggravating an injury in the season opener, according to NHL.com.

He took part in practice Monday on the top line with Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund and is looking to play his second game season Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Celebrini said he reinjured his hip on his first shift of the opener but played the full game and had a goal and assist. He has missed 12 games. The Sharks opened the season 0-7-2 but are 3-1 in their last four games.

Also: St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg will be out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. He needed help getting off the ice Saturday after he was checked by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner. … The Boston Bruins signed forward Tyler Johnson to a one-year, $775,000 contract. He won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Nov. 2: Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech go on injured list

New York Islanders No. 1 center Mathew Barzal was placed on long-term injured reserve with an unspecified upper-body injury. He’ll be out four to six weeks. He had 80 points in 80 games last season but had been limited to five points in 10 games this season as the Islanders have struggled to score.

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech also will be out four to six weeks after being hit in the face by a puck. He went on the injured list.

Oct. 30: Sharks acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs get defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. Liljegren, 25, had been limited to one game in Toronto this season, and the Maple Leafs recently committed to blue-liner Jake McCabe with a five-year extension. But Liljegren should fit in well in San Jose, which is building around younger players. Benning, 30, and Liljegren are signed through 2025-26.

This is the second day with an NHL trade after none previously since the season opened in North America.

Oct. 29: Utah acquires defenseman Olli Maatta from Red Wings

The Utah Hockey Club gives up a third-round pick as it addresses a desperate need for a veteran defenseman. Sean Durzi and John Marino are out long-term after surgery. Utah has been leaking goals during a four-game losing streak, including blowing a 4-1 lead late in the third period against the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Maatta is solid defensively and has nearly 700 games of NHL experience.

Oct. 28: Maple Leafs sign Jake McCabe to five-year extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension with an annual average value of $4.51 million. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports there is some deferred money in the deal. McCabe, 31, had been acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a February 2023 trade and ranks fourth on the team in average ice time this season. He has three assists in nine games and a team-best plus-6 rating.

Also: The New York Rangers recalled rugged forward Matt Rempe from the American Hockey League after he played two games there. The Rangers play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in what has become a feisty rivalry.

Oct. 26: Penguins send goalie Tristan Jarry to minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to their American Hockey League affiliate on a conditioning loan after his early season struggles. He had been sent home from the Penguins’ road trip to work on his game after recording a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three games. He was pulled from his last start on Oct. 16 and gave up six goals in the opener.

Jarry is in the second season of a five-year contract that carries a $5.375 million cap hit. Rookie Joel Blomqvist has had the most starts in the Penguins net this season and Alex Nedeljkovic recently returned from an injury.

Also: The New York Islanders signed rugged forward Matt Martin for the rest of the season. He had been to camp on a tryout agreement after spending 13 of his 15 seasons with the Islanders.

Oct. 25: Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere gets seven-year extension

The New York Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have agreed to a seven-year extension as he builds on last season’s breakthrough. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick will average $7.45 million in the deal, according to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. That’s up from this year’s $2.325 million cap hit. Lafreniere, 23, broke through with 28 goals and 57 points last season and added eight goals and 14 points in the playoffs. He is averaging a point a game this season through seven games and scored his fourth goal of the season on Thursday. He is signed through 2031-32.

Oct. 24: Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore signs for seven years

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore will average $7.425 million in the extension, which kicks in next season and runs through 2031-32. Getting him signed now is important after the Golden Knights lost Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup team to free agency during the summer.

Theodore, 29, is the franchise’s top-scoring defenseman with 296 points and has opened this season with seven points in six games. Vegas’ top three defensemen (also Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin) are signed through at least 2026-27.

Oct. 23: Utah’s Sean Durzi, John Marino out long-term after surgery

The Utah Hockey Club, who beefed up their defense in the offseason, will be without two key blueliners long-term after they had surgery.

Sean Durzi, who was injured in an Oct. 15 game, will miss four to six months after shoulder surgery. John Marino, who has yet to play this season, is out three to four months after back surgery.

Utah added defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, Marino and Ian Cole in the offseason. Durzi, acquired last season when the team was in Arizona, signed a four-year, $24 million contract during the summer.

In other injury news, St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas has a fractured ankle and will be evaluated in six weeks.

Oct. 22: Panthers give coach Paul Maurice contract extension

Maurice, who joined the Panthers in 2022-23, went to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season and won it last year. His 29 playoff wins are a franchise record.

He has 98 regular-season wins with Florida and his 873 career wins rank fourth all time in NHL history.

Also: The Blues signed forward Jake Neighbours to a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Oct. 17: Stars’ Jake Oettinger signs eight-year contract extension

The Dallas Stars signed goalie Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66 million contract extension that kicks in next season. The $8.25 million cap hit matches the deals recently signed by the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman and Senators’ Linus Ullmark.

Oettinger has led the Stars to the Western Conference final the past two seasons.

Oct. 12: Aleksander Barkov, Macklin Celebrini are injured

The NHL season is young, but two prominent players are already out with injuries.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss two to three weeks after crashing leg first into the boards while trying to prevent an empty net goal on Thursday. His stick had broken but he couldn’t stop Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle from scoring. The time frame should allow Barkov to participate in the two Global Series games against the Dallas Stars in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 1-2. Barkov is the first Finnish NHL captain to win the Stanley Cup. He won the Selke Trophy last season for the second time as top defensive forward.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks placed No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said Celebrini is week-to-week. He had been dealing with an injury in training camp but played in this week’s season opener, scoring a goal and an assist.

Oct. 11: Avalanche claim goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers

The Colorado Avalanche claimed Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Colorado lost 8-4 in the opener, with Alexandar Georgiev giving up five goals and backup Justus Annunen giving up two goals on four shots. The Avalanche are Kahkonen’s fourth team in a year. He split time last season between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils.