>>Wild Lose Fifth Straight
(St. Paul, MN) — The downward spiral continued for the Minnesota Wild last night in St. Paul as they fell 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wild scored the first goal for the first time in six games as Kirill Kaprizov netted his team high seventh of the season. But the Pens responded with four straight goals including a pair in just :61 seconds to open the third period to hand Minnesota their fifth straight loss. The Wild are now 0-2-2 to open their six game homestand as they fall to 3-6-3 on the season and just 1-3-2 on home ice. Filip Gustavsson suffered his fourth straight loss on 29 saves. The Wild host the Vancouver Canucks on tomorrow night at 6 P-M from Grand Casino Arena.
>>#19 Gopher Men’s Hockey Loses At #14 Wisconsin
(Madison, WI) — The 19th-ranked Golden Gopher men’s hockey team lost at number-14 Wisconsin last night 5-2 to open Big Ten Conference play. Minnesota dipped to 2-6-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference with the loss. The host Badgers improved to 5-0-and-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten. The Gophers got goals from Mason Moe of Eden Prairie and Brodie Ziemer of Chaska in the setback. Minnesota goaltender Luca Di Pasquo saw 42 Wisconsin shots and saved 38, while the Gophers mustered only 16 shots on goal. Game two of the two-game series is tomorrow night at 6 P-M at the Kohl Center in Madison.
>>Gopher Footbal Readies For M-S-U
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Golden Gopher football team looks to get back in the win column when they host the Michigan State Spartans at Huntington Bank Stadium tomorrow. The Gophers were just crushed by Iowa 41-3 on the road last weekend. Minnesota is 3-2 in Big Ten play and 5-3 overall. The Gophers have won their last two games against Michigan State in 2023 and 2022. The visiting Spartans are 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the Big Ten, losers of five straight contests. Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 2:30 P-M.
>>Big Ten: Nebraska Extends Head Coach Matt Rhule
(Lincoln, NE) — The University of Nebraska is extending football head coach Matt Rhule through the 2032 season. The school announced the two-year deal on Thursday, which increases the buyout to 15-million-dollars. Incentives include College Football Playoff appearances. This comes as several major college football programs have fired head coaches and are searching for replacements. Rhule is in his third year leading the Cornhuskers with an 18-and-15 record through 33 games. He led the program to its first bowl game since 2016.
>>Vikings Prepping For Lions
(Detroit, MI) — Vikings quarterback J-J McCarthy is set to make his first start in the state of Michigan as Minnesota takes on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday. McCarthy led the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship in January of 2024 before being drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the N-F-L Draft three months later. The second-year quarterback is expected to return to the line-up for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week Two. The 3-4 Vikings have struggled in his absence and are currently at the bottom of the N-F-C North. Meanwhile, the 5-2 Detroit Lions are well-rested after having a bye last week. Detroit has the third-best scoring offense in the N-F-L this season. The Lions have won their last five games against Minnesota. The Vikes saw linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel be a full participant in practice for a second straight day yesterday. Here is the 2025 Minnesota Vikings season schedule, with results to date:
Monday, September 8th: Vikings 27, Chicago 24 (final)
Sunday, September 14th: Atlanta 22, Vikings 6 (final)
Sunday, September 21st: Vikings 48, Cincinnati 10 (final)
Sunday, September 28th: Pittsburgh 24, Vikings 2 (final-in Dublin)
Sunday, October 5th: Vikings 21, Cleveland 17 (final-in London)
Sunday, October 12th: Bye Week
Sunday, October 19th: Philadelphia 28, Vikings 22 (final)
Thursday, October 23rd: LA Chargers 37, Vikings 10 (final)
Sunday, November 2nd: at Detroit, noon
Sunday, November 9th: vs. Baltimore, noon
Sunday, November 16th: vs. Chicago, noon
Sunday, November 23rd: at Green Bay, noon
Sunday, November 30th: at Seattle, 3:05 P-M
Sunday, December 7th: vs. Washington, noon
Sunday, December 14th: at Dallas, 7:20 P-M
Sunday, December 21st: at NY Giants, noon
Thursday, December 25th (Christmas): vs. Detroit, 3:30 P-M
TBD: vs. Green Bay, TBD
>>N-F-C North: Packers Add LB Walker To Injury Report
(Green Bay, WI) — The Green Bay Packers were without a key defender at practice yesterday. Linebacker Quay Walker missed the session with a calf injury. Walker leads the team with 64 total tackles to go along with one-and-a-half sacks this season. Green Bay will host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
>>N-F-C North: Bears Visit Bengals
(Cincinnati, OH) — The Chicago Bears will try to stay above .500 when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday. The Bears had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last weekend. Chicago is in third place in the N-F-C North with a 4-3 record. Sunday’s game kicks off at noon.
>>Reeve Selected To Women’s Basketball Hall Of Fame
(Minneapolis, MN) — Cheryl Reeve has earned one of the highest honors in women’s basketball. The Minnesota Lynx head coach was selected to join the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday. Reeve has coached Minnesota since 2010, leading the team to four W-N-B-A Championships. She has an all-time record of 364-190. She also coached Team U-S-A to an Olympic gold medal in 2024. The induction ceremony will take place in June.
>>Timberwolves Visit Hornets
(Charlotte, NC) — The Minnesota Timberwolves aim to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center tomorrow. The Wolves are coming off a 116-115 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Minnesota is off to a 2-and-3 start this season. Tomorrow’s game tips off at 5 P-M.
>>Mavericks To Face Pistons In N-B-A Mexico City Game
(Mexico City) — The N-B-A is heading to Mexico City. Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks are set to face Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons on Saturday in the 2025 N-B-A Mexico City Game at Arena C-D-M-X. It will be the league’s 34th game in Mexico since 1992, which is more than any country outside of the U-S and Canada. The event will coincide with traditional Dia de Muertos celebrations locally for the second straight year. The Mavs are playing in their eighth game in Mexico, while the Pistons will be appearing in the country for a third time.
>>Minnesota Twins Officially Name Shelton as New Manager
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Twins officially announced the hiring of Derek Shelton as their new manager yesterday. Shelton will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday at Target Field. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for five-plus seasons and went 306-440. Shelton spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a bench coach in Minnesota. Twins president Derek Falvey said, “He cares deeply about this community and our fans, and he’s genuinely driven to take on the challenge of bringing winning baseball back to Minnesota. ”
>>Blue Jays Go For World Series Win Against Dodgers On Friday
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Blue Jays are going for their first World Series victory in over three decades. Kevin Gausman takes the mound against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers in Game Six from Toronto on Friday. The Jays bounced back from a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series and plan to have star slugger George Springer back in the lineup. Los Angeles can force a decisive Game Seven with a win and keep their championship repeat hopes alive.
>>iHeartMedia Named Exclusive Audio Partner For Winter Olympics
(Milan) — iHeartMedia has been named the exclusive audio partner for next year’s Winter Olympics by NBCUniversal. The coverage will include play-by-play audio channels as well as the original iHeartPodcast “Two Guys, Five Rings” with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. The 2026 games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy with the Opening Ceremony taking place February 6th. The Winter Games will see the return of NHL players in the hockey tournament for the first time since 2014. Meanwhile, former Olympic champion skier Lindsay Vonn is attempting a comeback to compete in Italy after retiring in 2019.
>>D-N-R Looking for Cone and Tree Seeds
(Undated) — The Minnesota D-N-R is looking for tree seed and cone collectors to help grow the state’s forests. Seed and cone consultant Nicole Schafer says the state nursery grows about 7 million seedlings a year, so they need all the help they can get. The D-N-R will pay $60 per bushel for jack pine, $80 per bushel for red pine, and $200 per bushel for black spruce species. More info can be found on the D-N-R’s website.
