Tyler Herro Makes NBA All-Star Team

     Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was named as a member of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. It will be played in San Francisco on February 17.

     Herro will be making his first NBA All-Star Game appearance. He has averaged a team-high 23.8 points per game in 48 contests this season. Herro is currently in his sixth season with Miami.

Panthers Lose Adam Boqvist

     The Florida Panthers lost defenseman Adam Boqvist on Friday. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders. His brother Jesper Boqvist remains on the Cats roster.

     Boqvist joined the Panthers last July as a free agent. He ended up with two goals and four assists for six points in 16 games with Florida.

Panthers Roll By Islanders

     Carter Verhaeghe collected his fourth career hat trick as the Florida Panthers pushed by the New York Islanders 6-3 on Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers will complete their three-game homestand with a rare circumstance of back-to-back home games on Saturday and Sunday.  The Islanders had their seven-game winning streak snapped. 

     Islanders goalie Jakub Skarek made his NHL debut. The Panthers had a pregame ceremony as they gave defenseman Dmitri Kulikov a silver stick for playing in his 1,000 NHL game last week. 

     Florida(32-19-3) ripped out to a 1-0 advantage just 39 seconds into the opening period. Aleksander Barkov pushed the puck from the right point off an Islanders turnover and Sam Reinhart passed from right wing. Carter Verhaeghe then roofed a backhand shot from the crease area past Skarek for his 13th goal this season.  

     It became 2-0 for the Cats with 7:08 left in the first. Gustav Forsling shot the puck from the high slot which was saved. Verhaeghe placed in a wrist shot from the low left circle for his second tally of the game and 14th goal of the campaign. 

     Both teams combined for five goals during the second frame. A Tony DeAngelo shot from long range was saved by Spencer Knight. Kyle MacLean steered in the puck from the top of the crease for his third goal and New York(24-21-7) was down 2-1 at the 3:10 mark. 

     The Islanders tied it up 2-2 on the power play midway through the period at 10:00. Casey Cizikas fed a pass across the slot and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his 10th goal this year on a wrist shot from the right circle. 

     The Isles took their first lead of the contest 3-2 with 5:09 to go in the period. Adam Pelech fired a slap shot from the left point and it was deflected in by Marc Gatcomb from the low slot for his second career goal. 

     Florida overtook them with two goals for a 4-3 advantage. Evan Rodrigues put in a backhand shot with 2:08 left and Sam Reinhart chalked up his 31st goal of the season on a forehand shot from the slot area with 51 seconds remaining in the second. 

     In the third period, the Panthers scored a power-play goal at 10:41 to make it 5-3. Matthew Tkachuk carried the puck from behind the cage to the right circle. He connected a cross-ice pass and Verhaeghe one-timed a a shot from the left-circle dot for his third goal of the contest and 15th goal overall.

     New York pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 4:54 remaining. Tkachuk would eventually score an empty-net goal from the right wing with 1:39 left in the third to give the Cats a 6-3 lead. It was the 18th goal this season for Tkachuk.

Garrett Hampson Goes To Diamondbacks

     Former Miami Marlins utility player Garrett Hampson has inked a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will invited to their spring training camp.  

     Hampson played for Miami during the 2023 season. He chalked up three home runs, 23 runs batted in and a .276 batting average in 98 contests with the Marlins. 

Marlins Trade Jhonny Pereda

     The Miami Marlins have dealt catcher Jhonny Pereda to the Athletics. The Fish will receive back cash considerations. 

     Pereda finally made his Major League Baseball debut in 2024 with the Marlins. He finished with four runs batted in and a .231 batting average in 20 games.

Heat Get By Spurs

     The Miami Heat edged the San Antonio Spurs 105-103 on Saturday night at Frost Bank Center. The Heat began a four-game road swing. 

     Both teams were tied 33-33 at the conclusion of the first quarter. Miami(24-23) held a 60-56 advantage at halftime.  

     San Antonio(21-25) kept up and were down 85-82 at the end of three quarters. The Heat broke the tie with 0.1 seconds left in the final quarter when Bam Adebayo put in a 19-foot shot.  

     Adebayo led the Heat with 30 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for a double-double. Terry Rozier had 19 points and Nikola Jovic added 14 points. 

     Keldon Johnson came off the bench for the Spurs with club-high 19 points. Devin Vassell was able to drop in 18 points.

Panthers Speed By Blackhawks

     The Florida Panthers froze the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. The Panthers continued their three-game homestand. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice picked up his 900th career regular season victory.

     Chicago(16-31-5) rushed out to a 1-0 lead just seven seconds into the contest. Ryan Donato won the opening faceoff in the center-ice circle. Landon Slaggert went on a breakaway and slipped in a backhand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his second goal of the year. It was the fastest goal the team has ever scored to begin a game in franchise history. 

     Florida(31-19-3) evened it up 1-1 at the 5:28 mark. Jonah Gadjovich stuffed in a rebound from the blue paint past Petr Mrazek for his second goal this year.

     The Panthers took a 2-1 lead with 9:41 left in the first. Aaron Ekblad pushed the puck from the right point and Aleksander Barkov centered it from the low right circle. Sam Reinhart placed in a wrist shot from the left side of the crease for his 30th goal of the season. Reinhart reached the 30-goal plateau for the fourth consecutive season to set a Florida franchise record. 

     The Cats had 46 shooting attempts in he first period which was the most they have gotten in one single period in 2024-25. The Panthers outshot the Blackhawks 19-2 in the first 11 minutes and 22-4 in the opening frame.

     In the second period, the Cats increased it to 3-1 with 3:31 to go. Carter Verhaeghe angled a pass from the right corner. Reinhart took a shot from the inner right circle and it deflected off the body of Matthew Tkachuk in the crease area for his 17th goal of the campaign.

     It became 4-1 for Florida 10 seconds into the third period. Anton Lundell stole the puck on the end wall and passed it to the middle. Evan Rodrigues collected his 12th goal as he one-timed a snap shot from the low right circle.

     The Panthers made it 5-1 on the power play with 9:37 remaining in the third. Barkov chipped a diagonal pass from the top of the zone. Reinhart sent a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Verhaeghe tapped the puck in from the top of the crease for his 12th tally this season.