winning

Shane Wright, Nils Hoglander and Jayden Struble had a goal and an assist apiece, and the Nashville Predators extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.

Hoglander put Nashville ahead with a remarkable between-the-legs goal in the second period, and Justus Annunen made 27 saves to win his fourth consecutive start. Steven Stamkos also scored late in the third period.

One night after a comfortable shutout of the Kings, the Predators completed the Southern California sweep by cooling down the surging Ducks, whose five-game winning streak ended.

Cutter Gauthier extended the NHL’s most prolific seven-game goal scoring binge in more than three decades with a first-period score for the Ducks. Captain Mikael Granlund also had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who had been the first team since the 1988-89 Kings to score at least five goals in eight consecutive games.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 18 shots in his first loss in his five starts for Anaheim. The Ducks’ power play went 0 for 3 after scoring in eight consecutive games since Oct. 22.

Gauthier extended his streak in the first period, sweeping home his 16th goal in 18 games. He is the first player since 1921-22 to score 12 goals in his team’s first six games of a calendar month.

Gauthier became the first player to score 14 goals in a seven-game stretch since Mario Lemieux and Alexander Mogilny did it in the 1992-93 season. He also extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games and his point streak to a career-best nine games.

But 21 seconds later, Wright batted a loose puck to Struble for his third goal. Wright’s assist was his first point in his fifth game with the Predators, who acquired him from Seattle on Nov. 1.

Hoglander put Nashville up when he got alone in the slot and put his stick between his legs to roof an exceptional shot for his fourth goal. Wright extended the Predators’ lead with a goal set up by Hoglander and captain Roman Josi, who earned his 800th NHL point with the first of two assists.

Veteran forward Troy Terry made his season debut for the Ducks after missing 18 games while recovering from hip surgery in June.

The margin for error is thin.

Despite sitting atop the Big Ten with an undefeated record, the College Football Playoff selection committee slotted UCLA at No. 8 in its first rankings of the year, sitting behind a pair of two-loss Southeastern Conference teams and setting the stage for the Bruins to slip outside the 12-team playoff with one or two losses.

The Bruins, ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, are on the road for the first time in almost a month to face Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium, their toughest test since UCLA defeated Wisconsin on Oct. 17. The Golden Gophers — who defeated then-No. 13 Iowa on Oct. 24 and took then-No. 4 Indiana to overtime in Bloomington last week — give the Bruins an opportunity to silence critics questioning their strength of schedule. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. local time and 9 a.m. PST, the Bruins’ earliest start this season.

Coach Bob Chesney said he wants his team remain focused on the matchup and not outside noise, arguing that
the two most meaningless statistics in football are the score at halftime and a team’s record going into November.

UCLA coach Bob Chesney directs his team during a win over Nevada at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 31.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“This is as tough a team as we’ve faced and probably will face — playing at their place with an early start, all the things that come with it,” Chesney said. “… We have to make sure that we understand that practicing mental toughness, physical toughness, emotional toughness are all things that have to be worked on now and logged now. But again, it’s November. Things are heightened just a little bit more.”

If the Bruins want to leave Minnesota 9-0, they need strong play from senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, who has led an offense that strained to score wins the past two weeks.

UCLA’s offense has combined for 48 points against Michigan State and Nevada, but the Bruins suffered from slow starts during both homestands.

And while Dieffenbach has not turned the ball over across the past two weeks, Chesney said the quarterback failed to pull the trigger on throws that could have opened up the offense and allowed the running game to hit another gear.

“The biggest thing is starting fast, and staying with your true reads — being able to get back to the third read, fourth read — and then trust in the pocket too,” UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “… At the end of the day, there’s going to be a little bit of pressure. The pocket’s going to break down. So sitting in there and then really trusting it to get back with your eyes.”

Kennedy said self-inflicted wounds have hampered the offense’s execution, forcing Dieffenbach into third-and-long situations rather than third and manageable.

With Minnesota’s defense ranked sixth nationally in third-down defense and UCLA going 11-for-29 on third down the past two games, the offense will have to make the most of early downs.

UCLA’s offensive arsenal also gave away two fumbles against Michigan State — from senior running back Jaivian Thomas and fifth-year Anthony Woods — both in Spartan territory. The Golden Gophers and the Bruins are tied for first in the Big Ten in forced fumbles with 10 and it could take just one loose ball to change the tide of Saturday’s game in the Twin Cities.

“You look at the amount of turnovers they create. … You see them punch a lot at the football too,” Kennedy said. “That’s all design, and that’s probably something they pride themselves on, of trying to turn the football over and give it back to their offense.

“That’s something that we’ve stressed nonstop — ball security.”

Creating turnovers on the other side of the ball will be equally imperative to dismantling Minnesota’s offense. The Bruins lead the nation in takeaways with 26, averaging 3.3 per game, but defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler noted that they also lead the country in dropped interceptions.

With Minnesota kicker Luke Drzewiecki hitting 51 and 60-yard field goals against Indiana, and maintaining a perfect 15-for-15 field-goal clip — including going eight for eight from 40-plus yards — the Golden Gophers have the ability to light up the scoreboard as soon as they hit midfield.

The key to keeping Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s offense in its own territory and punting will be winning the line of scrimmage battle. Edge rushers Aiden Gobaira and Sahir West dominated last week against Nevada, combining for 16 tackles, three sacks and five tackles-for-loss.

“We have to match that intensity that starts up front, and AG [Aiden Gobaira] always sets the tone from that standard and you love the kid to death,” Hitschler said. “He puts it all out there for his teammates and he’s taken Sahir under his wing over the years. … Sahir starts and he does the hard duty, but when they’re together and they’re dominating, that’s carried us for a long time.”

Setting the edge and winning the trench battle will also be vital for mitigating the influence of Minnesota running back tandem T.J. Thomas and Darius Taylor.

The former has operated as the backup this season, but has rushed for 379 yards in six yards per carry. And while Taylor has struggled so far this season, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt, he still displays flashes of the tailback who rushed for 986 yards and 10 scores two seasons ago.

“I saw Darius a few years ago, and he’s as good a back as there is in this league, and obviously their backups got a good chip on his shoulder and earned the opportunity to play at this level and have been extremely explosive,” Hitschler said. “They’ve done a good job of being tough and being physical and finding a way to win. And a lot of that goes to their mentality being similar to ours.”

Scotland’s Willy Hutchinson will be on a mission to realise the dream he wrote about as a 13-year-old when he fights for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title on Saturday.

Hutchinson and British rival Joshua Buatsi meet in a rematch at Manchester’s AO Arena, just over two years after Buatsi earned a split-decision win in a thrilling first contest.

At the final news conference before the championship fight, Hutchinson, 28, explained that he jotted down his boxing goals as a teenager while working with his dad – and becoming WBC champion was at the top.

After David Benavidez gave up the WBC gold to move up to cruiserweight, a fight that was originally scheduled to be for the interim title was upgraded.

“I wrote on a pen and book that I’ll become Scottish, British, European and world amateur champion,” Hutchinson said.

“On the opposite side of this book – I’m 13 and I still have this book to this day – I wrote that I’ll become WBC champion of the world.

“I already got the silver and the international and now I’m fighting for the main belt.”

The ‘Hutch-Train’ became the first Scottish boxer to win gold at an amateur World Championships nearly 10 years ago, triumphing at youth level.

The date of that victory and the Buatsi fight night are just days apart on the calendar, which Hutchinson says is “absolutely fantastic”.

Broadcaster Adam Smith, who hosted Thursday’s news conference, challenged Hutchinson to bring along the book containing his boxing ambitions on Saturday night and the Scot said he was “sure we can sort something”.

Democrats have seized control of the United States Congress, winning the Senate and the House of Representatives in a nationwide rebuke of President Donald Trump that is expected to slow the final two years of his term.

In a series of historic firsts, the first Black female governor, the first openly gay male senator, the first Muslim senator, and the first female Native American governor have all won office, securing landmark victories in a vote that delivered resounding gains for the Democratic Party.

The sweeping Democratic gains in Tuesday’s election hand the opposition significant power to block legislation, open wide-ranging investigations into Trump’s administration, and challenge his judicial and senior government appointments.

The results reflect deep public anger over rising living costs, tariffs, and Trump’s confrontation with Iran, which has driven up fuel prices and amplified frustration with an already deeply unpopular president.

While Mitchell will undoubtedly take positives – Holly Aitchison’s play-making and Maud Muir’s all-action performance among them – he has plenty on his to-do list.

Top will be to tune up his team’s set-piece solidity and attacking fluency.

England suffered at the line-out early on, unable to fire up their rolling maul from two promising attacking positions before being shoved back over their own line, only for Kathryn Treder’s try to be ruled out for a obstruction call.

The scrum was also, initially at least, more closely contested than expected.

Muir was pinged as the experienced Hope Rogers grappled for set-piece supremacy.

And, all the while, the hosts were making headway at the gainline, buying territory with brute physicality – an aspect of the game which is usually England’s trademark.

The United States got their reward as Rogers burrowed beneath Maddie Feaunati for a short-range score that sparked lasting celebrations.

Jones went over after full-back Emma Sing hit a good line to restore a 10-point lead by the break, but the stats below the scoreboard favoured the United States with the hosts enjoying more territory and possession and making more metres with the ball in hand at the interval.

Moloney-MacDonald’s third and fourth scores soon after the restart put England 20 points clear and the outcome out of doubt.

The United States, who came into the match on the back of five-match winning run that includes successes over Ireland and South Africa, hung tough however.

While England’s endurance and depth told, with Hannah Botterman impressing off the bench, Ellie Kildunne weaving up from backfield on her introduction, the tide turning in the scrum and four tries scored in the final quarter, the hosts’ energy was impressive.

Even with replacement prop Mona Lisa Tupou being sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement, their resistance and physicality stayed high and was rewarded with Zackary’s late score.

With both the attendance and the playing surface appearing patchy at the 25,000-capacity Sports Illustrated Stadium, organisers will hope to have a more impressive platform in place by the time the Women’s Rugby World Cup is held stateside in 2033.

GEORGE EZRA has been quiet since dropping his third album, Gold Rush Kid, four years ago.

But it turns out he’s busy behind the scenes helping other artists make music.

I’m told that after disappearing from public life following his last gig in 2023, the Green Green Grass singer is in no rush to jump back into the spotlight just yet.

Instead, he has started renting out his own recording studio so that it is not sitting empty.

I can reveal George, who has also stopped posting on social media, has set up a business at Hotel Quebec studios in Hertford.

He is advertising for artists and writers to come and work on their own music at the facility.

GEORGE’S JOY

George Ezra becomes a dad for first time as he’s spotted carrying new arrival

headline act

George Ezra returns to the stage for ‘electric’ gig after acute vertigo battle

In an advert, he says: “Hello, my name is George Ezra and I would like to introduce you to my personal recording studio, Hotel Quebec, a state-of-the-art recording facility in Hertford, just outside of London, that was designed and built for me — my musical projects, my writing and my recording.

“It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the studio is now available for you to book and for you to record in, whether it’s for a day, a week, a month: if you are looking for a uniquely beautiful and creatively safe environment to work in, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

“On behalf of myself and the small but dedicated team here at Hotel Quebec, we hope you are well and we look forward to hearing from you.”

Those close to George said he had been quietly beavering away on his own projects in the studio, but added: “He wants to share what he’s created and it’s a clever side hustle.

“George has no confirmed plans or dates for a return yet, but he has been using the studio for his own projects.

“By renting the studio out, George can help other artists — and he’d much rather have that than the place being empty when he’s not using it.”

I told at the end of 2024 how George had quietly become a father for the first time, so I’m sure a few extra quid from the venture will be welcome.

The Brit Award winner has had three No1 albums and topped the singles chart in 2018 with Shotgun.

However, on his 2023 tour, he was forced to cancel some live ­performances due to acute vertigo, and he has always made it clear he’s not particularly keen on fame.

With that in mind, I can’t blame him for wanting some time away from the spotlight.

But I’ll be gutted if we don’t get any more music from George soon.

So I’m keeping my fingers crossed he doesn’t wait too much longer before treating us again.

MADGE IS CRAZY FUR ROCCO’S ART

ROCCO RITCHIE has found his biggest fan – in his mum Madonna.

She has shared a load of snaps from the budding artist’s most recent exhibition, which includes a self-portrait in which Rocco is cos-playing the Incredible Hulk.

Madge slipped into a fur coat and silky shorts for the event and told her Instagram followers: “Everyone knows I love art.

“Can you imagine how much more I love it when it’s my son, Rocco’s?

“It’s been so exciting watching him grow as an artist, finding his groove, his style, struggling with the loneliness of being a painter, locking himself in his studio. Watching him turn nothing into something.

“I love that he is moving into sculpture now.”

LEDS NIGHT FOR PAUL

THERE was a meeting of legendary musical minds over the weekend as Sir Paul McCartney headed out on a double date with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Beatles maestro Paul was spotted arriving at the trendy West London restaurant Dorian with his wife Nancy Shevell, before being joined by Jimmy and his missus, poet Scarlett Sabet.

The foursome were snapped during the course of their dinner, with one onlooker telling me: “They talked music non-stop. People were doing double takes when they saw Paul and Jimmy together.”

As Paul was heading home he was overheard telling the waiting photographers to make sure they took pictures of his “good side”.

It all looks good from where I’m sitting.

A RAYE OF HOPE

RAYE is considering legal action against an unnamed artist after they seemingly released a song written by her grandad without any credit or money for him.

The Where Is My Husband! singer, who clearly has music in her veins, revealed grandpa Michael wrote and recorded a track when he was younger and sent it to a record label who, without his knowledge, gave it to an artist, who she hasn’t named.

Raye, who won the Mercury Prize on Thursday, said: “He [Michael] was burnt by the industry. He wanted to make it as a songwriter, so he would write songs on the piano, score them and record it.

“Then he’d put them in boxes and post them to record labels in London, hoping that someone would play his tapes, like it, contact him and bring him down to London to live his dream. Unfortunately – and it was the case back in the day – so many songwriters were just absolutely done so dirty.

“He sent one song, and it was released two years later with no credit, no contact, and it completely broke his heart.

“There was nothing he could do about it – he had no money.

“He couldn’t afford a lawyer so no one cared.”

On whether she might pursue the case now she is a big star herself, Raye told the And The Writer Is… podcast: “I have looked into it.

“It’s just, financially, I just don’t know if the evidence is substantial enough because the evidence was sent off.

“All he has is a songwriting book with things jotted down, and yeah, it would be a giant thing.”

I’d love to see justice done.

DRAKE’S BOYBAND BIRTHDAY

DRAKE got a huge 40th birthday surprise when Backstreet Boys helped him celebrate the milestone.

The Hotline Bling rapper got up on stage in New York to sing with the group at Casa Cipriani, where they performed I Want It That Way.

I revealed last month that the American lads were poised to announce a run of shows at London’s O2 Arena in the coming weeks, with the concerts scheduled to take place next year.

Backstreet Boys will return to the Sphere in Las Vegas in December and January as part of their Into The Millennium residency.

After a nice break in the early new year, coming back to the UK will be the perfect way to kick-start 2027.

KASABIAN front- man Serge Pizzorno was the secret guest at the 20th anniversary celebrations of This Feeling in London.

The club, which has helped launch some of the biggest names in indie, put on a huge night of performances on Saturday.

Little Bit Of Love singer Tom Grennan was also on hand to perform a set as revellers partied until 2am.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

@ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

★★★★☆

YOU’D be foolish to walk into a stage ­musical based on a Disney kids’ movie and expect an edgy take on youth culture.

But that’s exactly why the new stage ­version of High School Musical delivers – it doesn’t try to be anything it’s not.

Having opened in Manchester, clever staging at its new home in London takes you courtside as the East High gang juggle basketball, science class and drama club.

And you’re immediately made one of them as the cheer squad lead you in ­routines ahead of the Wildcats’ big game.

McFly’s Harry Judd stars as Coach Bolton while Tobias Turley and ­Leonor Correia play young lovers Troy and Gabriella, who meet on holiday then find themselves at the same school. But it’s Luke Bayer and Caitlin TIpping, as siblings Ryan and Sharpay, who steal the show.

The writers wisely reprise the banger, Bop To The Top, and the show ends with a frenetic all-cast montage. It’s unlikely to win any awards or challenge minds, but this extra helping of cheese went down a treat.

By Felicity Cross

LIVEUpdated 11 mins ago

The Celebrity Traitors is back on BBC One tonight with a murder in plain sight taking place – but a Traitor, namely Love Island’s Maya Jama, could be in the frame too, it has been claimed.

Their face is gone, LeBron James getting kicked to a Philly curb.

Their voice is gone, longtime public address announcer Lawrence Tanter dying last month at age 76 after more than four decades of dulcet downtown tones.

A big piece of their heart is also gone, Jeanie Buss mired in an ugly court fight to maintain her last remaining sliver of influence in the wake of this summer’s sale to Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner.

Meet the 2026-27 Lakers, a team that will look different, sound different, feel different, play different and behave different from their recent predecessors in every way but one.

They’re still not winning a championship.

They’re still not getting to the conference finals.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic enters this season as the face of the franchise after LeBron James’ departure.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

They’re still destined to a sixth seed and a first-round knockout in the impossible West, a mediocre finish that is sure to convince new ownership to make massive changes — look out Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick! — and start all over again next season.

So call this a gap year.

They’ve graduated from LeBron, but they’re still not quite sure what they want to do with the rest of their life.

They’re planning on majoring in Luka Doncic, minoring in Austin Reaves and specializing in Walker Kessler, but there are flaws in all three, and the rest of the proposed curriculum is an unknown collection of ideas that have yet to be put together in a cogent package.

For now, the league’s biggest roster overhaul includes names that are just names, the likes of Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney. Who knows where they will fit? Who knows what they can do?

Noticeably missing are the names Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart, all decent contributors last season, and that’s too bad.

Then there’s the name Bronny James, whose future here took a nosedive when his pops moved to Philadelphia and he had a lousy training camp. Who knows how long Bronny will stick around, but at least the Lakers are out of the LeBron family drama business, which is good, because this team will create enough drama on its own.

First, there’s Doncic, and the risk in building around him, considering he’s missed an average of 20 games a season the last three years. He’s appeared in a total of five playoff games since leading the Dallas Mavericks to the Finals three years ago. He’s 27, but sometimes he trudges around the court like he’s 50.

Lakers guard Bronny James dribbles during a preseason game against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 8.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Now that this is Doncic’s team, will he act like it?

Every centerpiece player in Laker history — from Mikan to West to Kareem to Magic to Kobe to Shaq to Pau to LeBron — has carried their group to a championship. They’ve not been considered a true Laker until they have done so. In the case of LeBron, one was not even enough.

Is Doncic prepared to shoulder this burden? He says yes. He says he’s done this before, although he’s never won an NBA title, so, um …

“It feels great,” he told reporters at media day last month. “Obviously, it’s a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me. But I feel great. I feel excited, and like I said, I’m ready to go. It’s been a long time since I played basketball, so I’m ready.”

He got off to a good start this summer when he flew the team to his native Slovenia to spend a few days bonding. He is already acting like a captain. Now he needs to play every day like one.

“I see myself in this role, nothing new, but it’s very important,” Doncic said. “Everybody on the whole team, you know, look up to me, I have to look up to them. And it’s just, there should be many leaders, you know. You should be able to hold each other accountable.”

Lakers guard Austin Reaves dribbles past the Kings’ Nique Clifford during a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 8.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Many leaders? Probably only two, Doncic and his newly minted $180-million running mate Reaves.

The Lakers were 30-11 when the two gunners were on the court last season, and no NBA duo averaged more points, but, again, this year is different.

Last year they both had LeBron as a safety net. This year, it’s all on them.

Just like Doncic, Reaves said he is ready to help guide his new teammates on this arduous journey.

“The expectation here of being a Laker is higher than it is anywhere in the world,” Reaves said. “The media presence, you know, every day something is going to come out about us, and just being able to know how to navigate that and help others navigate that is the main thing. One second we’re going to be the best team in the world. And the next you lose two in a row, you’re the worst team, you can’t figure it out. So, helping these guys understand that none of that really matters, it’s all about what goes on within these walls, is the main thing.”

Actually, for Reaves, the main thing is the postseason, where he has mightily struggled, even taking into account the slight guard usually enters each spring with all sorts of bumps and bruises. He’s been a lousy playoff shooter. He’s been a clumsy playoff playmaker.

But one of the greatest undrafted free agents in recent league history appreciates and embraces every chance to change the narrative, and he’ll have no greater chance than this season.

“You’re going to have failures within this long season,” he said. “But every single night you’re going to have an opportunity when you take the floor, especially for this organization, for this fan base to show the world what you’re capable of. So, you’re going to have every single opportunity to do good with the opportunities that you’re given.”

No Laker, it seems, will have a greater nightly opportunity to write his legacy than Kessler, who was acquired this summer from the Utah Jazz for the princely sum of two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.

He is being projected as a perfect lob and pick-and-roll partner for Doncic and a long-awaited rim protector, but let’s be real.

He played in five games last year and never started a full season in his four years in Utah and even for a perpetually tanking team, that’s not a big resume. What sort of NBA center he will be is anybody’s guess.

The Lakers are guessing huge, and at least he sounds like he’s ready for it.

Laker Walker Kessler fouls the Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg during a preseason game on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas, Nev.

(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

“And as far as the belief that they’ve shown in me, I mean, it makes me excited for this year,” he said. “It makes me feel like I can run through the wall for this organization, this team, my teammates, so yeah, I’m just so excited.”

Good thing about that wall, because with this unsettled bunch, there will be plenty of them.

But, hey, at least one looming question has been answered. During media day, new power forward Mamukelashvili gracefully explained how to pronounce his last name.

“So, a lot of people think it’s hard, but I don’t think so,” he said. “It is Mamu-kela-shvili. So if you take like, I feel like, two letters at a time, and “shvili” at the end, it’s not that hard.”

If only the rest of this season would go so smooth.