>>Wild Win Again
(Columbus, OH) — Minnesota forward Joel Eriksson Ek scored the go ahead goal in the third period as the Wild skated past the Blue Jackets 5-2 on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. The game was tied 2-2 after two periods before Eriksson Ek extended his point streak to six games with his eighth goal of the season. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy added empty netters late in regulation to seal the sixth consecutive victory and improve to 18-3-2 since November 1st. Ryan Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for Minnesota and Jesper Wallstedt made 26 saves for the win. Wallstedt has won nine of his last 10 starts and continues to lead the N-H-L in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. The Wild open up a three game homestand into the holiday break with back to back games at Grand Casino Arena this weekend. They’ll host the Oilers at 2 P-M tomorrow and the Avalanche at 5 P-M on Sunday.
>>World Junior Pre-Tourney Games Continue Tonight
(Mankato, MN) — Mankato, Rochester, Bemidji and Duluth are hosting World Junior pre-tournament exhibition games over the next few days as teams gear up for the World Junior Championship Tournament, which gets underway on Friday, December 26th in the Twin Cities. Here is the World Junior pre-tournament exhibition schedule:
In Duluth (AMSOIL Arena):
Friday, December 19th: Finland vs. Germany, 7 P-M
Sunday, December 21st: United States vs. Germany, 4 P-M
Tuesday, December 23rd: United States vs. Finland, 6 P-M
In Bemidji (Sanford Center):
Friday, December 19th: Czechia vs. Latvia, 7 P-M
Sunday, December 21st: Latvia vs. Slovakia, 7 P-M
Monday, December 22nd: Slovakia vs. Czechia, 7 P-M
In Mankato (Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center):
Tuesday, December 16th: Switzerland 2, Minnesota State-Mankato 1 (final-shootout)
Tuesday, December 23rd: Canada vs. Denmark, 7 P-M
In Rochester (Rochester Recreation Center):
Sunday, December 21st: Denmark vs. Switzerland, 7 P-M
Tuesday, December 23rd: Switzerland vs. Sweden, 7 P-M
>>Kevin Garnett Returning To Timberwolves
(Minneapolis, MN) — Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is making a comeback to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a team ambassador. Garnett is reuniting with the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx in a new, all-encompassing role involving business, community efforts and content development. Garnett had been distant from the Wolves organization since his playing career ended in 2016 due to a fallout with the team’s previous owner Glen Taylor, and he has reportedly built a rapport with the new owners Marc Lore and baseball legend Alex Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the team will retire his number 21 jersey at a later date.
>>Timberwolves Host Thunder
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Timberwolves look to get back in the win column when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center tonight. The Wolves are coming off a 116-110 home loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Minnesota is in sixth place in the Western Conference at 17-10. Tonight’s game tips off at 8:30 P-M.
>>N-B-A: Thunder Beat Clippers In OKC
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 122-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Paycom Center. Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 points to help the Thunder avoid a second straight loss. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined for 42 points as the Thunder improved to 25-2.
>>Vikings Visit Giants
(East Rutherford, NJ) — The Minnesota Vikings go for their third win in a row when they visit the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Purple improved to 6-8 with a 34-26 win over the Dallas Cowboys on the road last Sunday. Quarterback J-J McCarthy has turned his season around with back-to-back games with a passer rating over 100. Meanwhile, the 2-12 Giants are on an eight-game losing streak following a 29-21 loss to the Commanders last week. Jaxson Dart is having an impressive rookie season with 13 passing touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns, and just four interceptions. The Vikings haven’t lost a regular season game against the Giants since 2013. Kickoff on Sunday is noon. The Vikings were without offensive lineman Christian Darrisaw and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave at practice 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: Vikings 27, Detroit 24 (final)
Sunday, November 9th: Baltimore 27, Vikings 19 (final)
Sunday, November 16th: Chicago 19, Vikings 17 (final)
Sunday, November 23rd: Green Bay 23, Vikings 6 (final)
Sunday, November 30th: Seattle 26, Vikings 0 (final)
Sunday, December 7th: Vikings 31, Washington 0 (final)
Sunday, December 14th: Vikings 34, Dallas 26 (final)
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 To Play Bears
(Chicago, IL) — The Green Bay Packers are hitting the road for a divisional matchup. Green Bay will face off with the Bears tomorrow for first place in the N-F-C North. The Packers are 9-4-and-1 and trail 10-4 Chicago for the top spot entering the week despite a head-to-head win. Green Bay running back MarShawn Lloyd, guard John Williams and tight end Josh Whyle will not play, while running back Josh Jacobs and offensive lineman Zach Tom are among 10 players listed as questionable.
>>N-F-C North: Lions Host Steelers Sunday
(Detroit, MI) — The Detroit Lions will host Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in their home finale on Sunday at Ford Field. The Lions enter the weekend just a game out of the final N-F-C Wild Card spot at 8-and-6. Pittsburgh leads the A-F-C North at 8-6.
>>N-F-L: Seahawks Beat Rams In OT
(Seattle, WA) — The Seahawks overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Rams 38-37 in overtime to take over first place in the N-F-C West. Former Vikings Q-B Sam Darnold threw for 270 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Seattle victory. Kenneth Walker The Third put up 164 yards of offense and a touchdown, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 94 yards and the touchdown in overtime. The Seahawks are now first in the division with a 12-3 record. Matthew Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns for Los Angeles. Puka Nacua caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams are now 11-4, second in the N-F-C West.
>>#15 Gopher Gymnasts Host Intrasquad Scrimmage
(Minneapolis, MN) — The 15th-rated Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team hosts an intrasquad scrimmage late this morning to kick off their 2025-26 season. The event takes place at 11 A-M at Maturi Pavilion. Minnesota head coach Jenny Hanson enters her 12th season at the helm after leading the Gophers to a 25-7 mark lats season.
>>NASCAR Driver Killed In North Carolina Plane Crash
(Statesville, NC) — NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has died in a plane crash at a North Carolina airport. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says Biffle was among the seven people killed when his private jet burst into flames when landing at Statesville Regional Airport, around 50 miles north of Charlotte. Biffle’s family was also among the seven killed. Biffle was a Hall of Fame nominee for the stock car series and he drove for 18 years at the top of the sport, also picked by NASCAR as one of its top 75 drivers in history.
>>Late-Season CWD Management Begins Friday in Southeastern Minnesota
(Undated) — A late-season chronic wasting disease management hunt kicks off today (Fri) in eight deer permit areas in southeastern Minnesota. The D-N-R’s Erik Hildebrand says there’s been a slight uptick in C-W-D infections in the state this season. He says we have about a hundred positive confirmed deer and another 16 that are suspect awaiting a confirmation test. Last year Minnesota had a total of 95 confirmed positive hunter-harvested deer. Hildebrand says this weekend is an opportunity for hunters to harvest additional deer and help slow the spread of C-W-D.
