Takeout will be back tomorrow (and Friday) as we’ll break down tonight’s MNF game between the Vikings and the Bills. Carson Wentz starts - the trade deadline is Tuesday. National folks say a trade is likely, but the Colts told Daniel Jones he’s not being moved (as a former Giants fan this is good news trust me).
Wolves Win Fourth Straight
The Wolves routed one-win Utah 115-100 last night at home for their fourth straight win. Yes, three of those games came against vastly inferior opponents, but sometimes it’s not who you play, it’s when you play them. Stockpile those wins against lesser teams without Ant in the lineup.
Ayo Dosunmu and LaMelo Ball each played 30 minutes against the Jazz, and they combined for 50 points. They did each have five turnovers. Amazingly enough, the Wolves didn’t outscore Utah when either one was on the floor.
Only one team in the West has more wins than the 8-3 Wolves, who are off until they play host to Dallas on Thursday.
Wild Falters Late in OT Loss to Tampa Bay
Nikita Kucherov, who recently asked for a trade and would look really nice alongside countryman Kirill Kaprizov, scored the winning goal in OT as the Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Wild 4-3.
It’s not like this game will keep the Wild from the playoffs, but it’s a point that could cost them later in the race for home ice.
Minnesota had won six of seven and welcomed back both Folignos. The Wild was cruising with a 3-1 lead well past the midway point of the third, before #oneofus Jake Guentzel scored his second of the game to make it 3-2. After a tying goal, Kucherov scored a PPG on an assist from Guentzel in the extra session.
The Wild played a sloppy game in front of backup goalie Calvin Pickard. When Pickard played, it stopped a span of four straight games in which the Wild didn’t use a single Canadian in the game. They became just the second NHL team all time to play two or more games without anyone from north of the border.
Maxim Shabanov scored two goals for the Wild. He has eight goals in 18 games after scoring just five in 44 for the Islanders in his rookie season.
It’s hard to believe it’s time for another Wild road trip, but they’re away from home for the next three, starting Tuesday in Montreal.
Big Plays Fell Gophers in Loss to UCLA
The Gophers could use a game breaker on offense.
Minnesota again struggled offensively, and allowed a pair of 75-yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of a 34-20 loss to No. 6 Oregon at home on Saturday.
After the Gophers tied the game at 17-17 early in the fourth, Ty Dieffenbach hit Aidan Mizell for a 75-yard score on the very next play. Talk about a backbreaker. The two connected on another 75-yard TD halfway through the final quarter, after the Gophers had to settle for a field goal after going 10 plays and 66 yards. Another backbreaker.
UCLA outgained the Gophers 466-296. Dieffenbach only had to complete eight passes for his 303 yards. He made them count.
The Gophers’ alleged NFL level QB Drake Lindsey doesn’t have much help among his receivers, but he misfired on almost half of his 37 passes. It doesn’t help when the Gophers run the ball for just over three yards per attempt.
Minnesota has lost back-to-back games for the frist time all season. They visit Penn State on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions have an 83.1 percent change of winning according to ESPN.
Too Little, Too Late to Salvage Loons Season
A great start and a great end to the 2026 season for the Loons, but the five months in between were a problem.
Minnesota won four of its last five games, including its third straight 3-1 win, at home against San Jose in the season finale, but fell a single point short of the wild card round.
The Loons went five months winning just a single MLS game. Yet they were only two points out of an actual playoff spot - seventh in the west.
It was a tumultuous season, with their “GM” bailing mid-season. They’ve got a new person in charge of business operations for next season, too. Will they spend more for the 2027 MLS “season”, which will be just 14 games from Feb. 19 to May 8 as the team sets up its new schedule for 2027-28 (it will run from July through May with a break of more than a month in the winter)..
GBB: Both Teams 2-0
The Gopher men outlasted the long awaited game against St. Thomas. The teams met for the first time as D1 rivals, with Minnesota prevailing 76-62. We’ll see if they play again; not much benefit for the Gophers to play that game. The Tommies are down this year too after being hit heavily by the portal. Minnesota visits Cincinnati tonight.
The Gopher women are also 2-0 after beating Marquette 87-79 on the road Saturday. They host Southern on Tuesday.
Gopher Hockey: No. 1 Badgers Crush Gophers in Finale
After squeezing out a point while getting outplayed Thursday against No. 1 Wisconsin, the Gophers faltered big time Saturday in a 5-1 home loss to the Badgers. It marked Minnesota’s first loss at Mariucci this season. Wisconsin scored three times in a span of 2:25 in the second period to blow open a close game. The Gophers also allowed three PPG to 7-0-1 Wisconsin.
Minnesota, which had been unbeaten in regulation in its last six, will be a heavy favorite to get back to its winning ways when hosting 1-9-0 Alaska-Anchorage this weekend.
The bye week got me. The Gopher women play a home-and-home with St. Cloud State this weekend.
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