Tristin McKinstry Articles - Page 2

The Chicago Bears recently claimed the NFC North crown thanks to a loss by the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. On Sunday night, they had a chance to make the NFC’s No. 1 seed a distinct possibility. They needed a win over the San Francisco 49ers to do so, though. Unfortunately, despite a whale of […]

The San Francisco 49ers matched up with the NFC North champion Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. And this showdown between Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams certainly did not disappoint. The two signal callers combined for five passing touchdowns in this contest. However, it was Purdy and the Niners who had the last laugh. Purdy […]

The Detroit Red Wings suffered an unfortunate loss to the Carolina Hurricanes coming out of the Christmas break. However, the Red Wings remained first in the Atlantic Division despite the loss. They have shown the ability to beat good teams and bounce back from bad games. On Sunday, young defenseman Simon Edvinsson embodied what the […]

The Carolina Panthers had a chance to win the NFC South on Sunday. They had a tall task in taking on Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks. However, they have shown the ability to take down some good teams, especially when quarterback Bryce Young turns things on in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Carolina could not […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not having a good season and have made some changes because of it. The Maple Leafs fired assistant coach Marc Savard on Monday in what could be the first domino to fall in Toronto. If comments from star forward William Nylander are any indication, there is work to do beyond […]

The Philadelphia Flyers are playing their worst hockey of the season at this point in time. Philadelphia has lost five of its last six games, including its most recent contest against the New York Rangers. Now, there is some off-ice noise, as well. Speculation about the relationship between coach Rick Tocchet and youngster Matvei Michkov […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have not played well this season. At this time, they are dead last in the Atlantic Division and only one point clear of the Columbus Blue Jackets for last in the Eastern Conference. It’s a massively disappointing campaign for a team some believed could contend for the Stanley Cup. On Monday, […]

The Carolina Panthers are one step closer to the NFC South title after Week 16. Quarterback Bryce Young led his squad to a massive 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a result, the Panthers are No. 1 in the division. And according to cornerback Jaycee Horn, Carolina is a team no one wants […]

The Detroit Lions suffered a brutal loss on Sunday evening to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a result, their playoff hopes are hanging by an even weaker thread than they were before the game kicked off. However, Dan Campbell and his men could not have envisioned a more chaotic finish to this game. Detroit had a […]

The Cleveland Browns came up short on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. It’s been a rather tumultuous season for Cleveland, who now own a 3-12 record with the 2025 season nearing a close. This is in spite of the fact that superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett is closing in on the NFL’s single-season sack record. […]

The Houston Texans are preparing to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16. Houston cannot clinch a playoff spot, but their game can influence whether other teams clinch a spot this week. On Sunday, the Texans are expecting to get some key offensive pieces back against the Raiders. Wide receiver Christian Kirk and […]

The Winnipeg Jets have fallen down the standings in the NHL after a rather promising start. At this time, they are the fifth-worst team in the NHL on points. And only two points separate them from the last-place Seattle Kraken. Despite this, talk around the league is that Winnipeg is looking to trade talented prospect […]

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are squaring off in a crucial late-season NFC North showdown. Green Bay is hoping to return to the top of the NFC North and will inch closer to a playoff spot with a win on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the team is currently holding its breath for an update […]

The NHL froze its rosters at 11:59 pm local time on December 19th for the upcoming Christmas holiday. As a result, teams needed to act fast if they wanted to swing a trade before the rosters locked. On Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens did just that with Phillip Danault. The Kings […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the worst teams in hockey at this time. They head into the Christmas holiday tied for last in the Eastern Conference. And star defenseman Zach Werenski is beginning to feel restless as the losses pile up. Before the NHL’s roster freeze, though, Columbus swung a trade with the […]

The Montreal Canadiens are battling for playoff positioning at this time. Montreal is looking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after making it last season, and have been interested in making some moves to aid their push. On Friday night, they struck a deal with the Los Angeles Kings to reunite with former friend […]

The Nashville Predators signed Steven Stamkos a couple summers ago with the expectation that he would lead them to postseason success. Stamkos was coming off an 80+ point season. And he did not show any signs of slowing down after 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, things have not gone to plan by […]

The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as their new head coach over the summer. Sturm is no stranger to the coaching world. He got his start coaching the German national team, leading them to a silver medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics. He also has experience as an NHL assistant and as an AHL head […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins saw Stuart Skinner make his team debut on Tuesday night. Skinner was traded by the Edmonton Oilers last week, but had his debut delayed by an immigration issue. Now in Pittsburgh, he took to the ice in his new home arena against the team that drafted him back in 2017. Unfortunately, Skinner […]

The Detroit Red Wings are rolling in December as they hunt down playoff positioning in the Atlantic Division. Detroit entered Tuesday’s game against the New York Islanders tied on points for first in the Atlantic. And thanks in part to Alex DeBrincat, the Winged Wheel now owns the No. 1 spot outright. DeBrincat scored two […]

The Minnesota Wild traded for Quinn Hughes last week, and the excitement has reached a fever pitch. Hughes scored his first goal on his Wild debut in a win over the Boston Bruins. On Tuesday, Minnesota Timberwolves star Julius Randle was in attendance to see the former Norris Trophy winner make a bit of team […]

The Edmonton Oilers are facing former teammate Stuart Skinner on Tuesday night. Skinner was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last week in a rather big trade for both sides. Skinner and Tristan Jarry facing their former teams was a big storyline heading into this contest. However, it was Oilers star Leon Draisaitl who stole the […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning took a step back in ClutchPoints’ most recent power rankings. But the Atlantic Division leaders are still in the thick of the playoff race. That made Monday night’s game against the Florida Panthers a rather important one before the calendar flips to 2026. Unfortunately, Jon Cooper could not coach his team […]

The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL this season. And they proved as much on Monday night when they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. However, the game was overshadowed a bit by an incident between Mikko Rantanen and Darcy Kuemper that left the Kings goaltender injured. During an offensive […]

The Minnesota Wild are on top of the hockey world right now. They aren’t first in the standings, but they are certainly on cloud nine regardless. The Wild swung a trade for superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes out of nowhere on Friday night. And in his first game with Minnesota, Hughes scored his first goal in […]

The St. Louis Blues are trying to work through a rough go of things this season. They expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, this has not come to pass. St. Louis in search for a spark, and are giving a top prospect the opportunity to show what he has. The Blues are […]

The Detroit Lions needed a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday evening. Detroit’s playoff hopes were not looking too good, but a win over the Dallas Cowboys after Thanksgiving gave the franchise hope. However, Dan Campbell’s men were unable to defeat the Rams. And now their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread […]

The Minnesota Wild were at the center of the NHL universe on Sunday night. Superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes made his team debut following a stunning blockbuster trade from the Vancouver Canucks. Against the Boston Bruins, the 26-year-old showed why he is one of the best in the game. Hughes made some important plays with the […]

The Detroit Red Wings are coming off a big win over the Connor Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks. Despite Chicago being without Bedard, Detroit earned its victory as it continues to cement itself in the Atlantic Division playoff picture. On Sunday night, they made a move that could give them a bit of goal-scoring depth ahead of […]

Hunter Henry and the New England Patriots had the chance to clinch the AFC East on Sunday afternoon. They played host to the Buffalo Bills, and a win would have brought the division title to Foxborough for the first time since 2019. Unfortunately, Pats fans will need to wait at least another week to celebrate. […]

The Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks completed a blockbuster trade on Friday night. Minnesota acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from Vancouver in a deal that will be discussed at length for some time. Hughes, a free agent in 2027, did not immediately agree to a contract with his new team. To be fair, this was […]

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to overcome a bit of a slump. They have lost three of their last four games. And they are engaged in a fierce battle for one of the Western Conference Wild Card spots. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks will also be without superstar Connor Bedard as they try to pick up some […]

The Minnesota Wild have swung a trade for Quinn Hughes that will be talked about for years to come. Minnesota acquired the former Norris Trophy winner on Friday night in exchange for four assets. Forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick went to the Vancouver Canucks in this […]

The hockey world saw a massive bombshell dropped out of nowhere on Friday night. The Vancouver Canucks traded star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for three players and a 2026 first-round pick. Minnesota officially announced the deal on Friday, bringing to an end one of the most talked-about trade storylines in the league. […]

The 2025-26 NHL season has produced some incredible moments throughout the last three months. For instance, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scoring his 900th career goal was a moment no fan will soon forget. However, individual moments take a backseat to team success. And with the season nearing the halfway point, it’s time to take […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a crucial win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. It’s been a rough start for the Maple Leafs early on. But they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, and seem to be getting their feet under them. Unfortunately, they will be without key depth forward Bobby McMann […]

The Buffalo Sabres sat in last place in the Atlantic Division entering play Monday night. A win over the Calgary Flames would not have taken them out of the division basement. However, it would have brought them within two points of escaping. Unfortunately, Rasmus Dahlin and his teammates were unable to claim victory. Flames forwards […]

The Tampa Bay Rays did not make the postseason in 2025 after a rather weird season. They did not play in their home ballpark, for instance. And the team simply never looked the part of a playoff contender. However, they are returning to Tropicana Field for the 2026 season. When this happens, they’ll be bringing […]

The 2025-26 NHL season is entering its 10th week, and we are starting to see some separation between the contenders and pretenders. However, there are still some extremely tight races around the league. For instance, only four points separate the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning and the seventh-placed Ottawa Senators. The Toronto Maple Leafs and […]