LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings honored firefighters and first responders in the first game back in their downtown arena since the catastrophic wildfires that devastated large parts of Los Angeles.

The Kings were scheduled to face Calgary on Jan. 8, but that game was postponed because of the fires. Los Angeles then played its next five games on the road before returning home.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Kings wore LAFD caps during pregame warmups. Firefighters and first responders from various departments in the region were honored at center ice before the game.

The Kings replaced their traditional logo at center ice with a graphic paying tribute to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"To see the guys out there and the gals, it was humbling. I don't know. I just felt that way," Kings coach Jim Hiller said about the ceremony. "I felt a little emotional. I just felt like those people have been out there doing some pretty amazing things that we just saw a little bit from a long distance. And we're in our own little bubble doing what we have to do. It brought it to life for me, pretty personal, and it's just disappointing we couldn't do more with it."

Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby then did a ceremonial face off with Fire Engineer Chien Yu.

The Kings were looking to extend their home winning streak, but played one of their worst games of the year as they lost to the Penguins 5-1.

"Those guys, you know, risk their lives for the community, for the city, and we can't thank them enough," Kopitar said. "The city's been going through some tough times, and, obviously, in situations like this, I'm sure the city is going to come together and help and pull their weight in every which way possible to the people that have lost everything and, again, try to help them out, get them on their feet and essentially rebuild."

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan knew his team was coming into an emotionally charged building, and knew it was important to manage the first 10 minutes of the game.

"We knew it was going to be an emotional night in the building for all the right reasons," Sullivan said. "Our team is supportive of the endeavor with the Kings and acknowledging and recognizing the heroism of the fire department and all these first responders that are putting themselves in harm's way to try to help people. That's bigger than any hockey game."

Pittsburgh goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who made 25 saves in the win and was wearing an LAFD shirt after the game, appreciated seeing the amount of recognition the firefighters and first responders received throughout the night.

"It means a lot to them and their families. For them to get some recognition, I'm sure it goes a long way for them because they're just doing it out of the kindness of their hearts and trying to help other people and be good people. We're very thankful to have people like that in our world," he said.

Arsenal have been here before. The present and fierce debate over whether they should sign a striker in January is similar to the mood around the club three years ago, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was abruptly transferred to Barcelona and the Gunners pondered signing a replacement.

Steadfast in their belief that the ideal player wasn't available, Arsenal decided that they would not compromise or gamble by pursuing an alternative, instead trusting those already at the club to see it through. They ended up paying a high price, missing out on UEFA Champions League football by just two points as late-season defeats at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur cost them dearly.

The final table showed Arsenal in fifth place with 61 goals. Champions Manchester City ended with 99, Liverpool with 94.

The Gunners have adopted a disciplined approach in the transfer market during manager Mikel Arteta's five-year reign, preferring to wait for their top target or pivot to a backup option who could be had for less in certain circumstances. It has served them well, transforming them from top-four hopefuls to title contenders in the past two seasons.

A reminder of this longer-term view came this week with news that they are in pole position to sign Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. That deal, regarded as a significant coup if they pull it off, will strengthen their central midfield and ease pressure on the club to tie down either one or both of Jorginho and Thomas Partey, who each have contracts expiring at the end of the season.

There are more immediate priorities, though. As former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra said last week: "Arsenal is like watching Netflix: you always have to wait for the next season."

Perhaps now is the time to seize the moment. Nobody watches Arsenal right now thinking they are a central midfielder short. City's dramatic fall from grace this season has created an unexpected opening that Arsenal, second for the past two years, should have been best placed to take; instead, Liverpool have opened up a four-point gap at the top of the table with a game in hand.

In the face of criticism regarding their faltering attack, Arteta repeatedly points to Arsenal's 91-goal haul last season, a club record for a Premier League campaign. But too many games follow a similar pattern: creating limited chances from open play, which are often squandered, relying on set pieces to mask that inefficiency, or a moment of brilliance from Martin Ødegaard or Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal edged past Tottenham on Wednesday night, deservedly so, but without breaking that cycle. On Saturday, they raced to a 2-0 lead at home to Aston Villa, with two open-play goals, only to concede twice late and settle for a point. It was a result that could prove every bit as harmful to their Premier League title chances as when they met in similar circumstances back in April, when Villa's smash-and-grab 2-0 victory cost Arteta's side dearly.

That Villa loss came in the middle of a two-legged Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Bayern Munich, after which sources told ESPN that the club were seeking to bolster their forward line in summer 2024. They ultimately opted against doing so, signing instead left-back Riccardo Calafiori and midfielder Mikel Merino before on deadline day, as Chelsea suddenly dropped their demands, a late loan move for Raheem Sterling materialised because, they felt, the numbers worked and Arteta knew the player from working together at City.

A revitalised Sterling might have made a big difference, but the version in need of rehabilitation does not. Can they afford to wait once again this month, or does the tangible opportunity of a first league title in 21 years require greater urgency and ambition?

The root cause of Arsenal's decision not to pursue a striker last summer was Benjamin Sesko's change of heart, as he opted to sign a new contract with RB Leipzig rather than seek a move. Arsenal assessed their options, but ultimately chose against recalibrating their sights.

Newcastle were reluctant to allow Alexander Isak to depart, while the Gunners did not even enter the conversation as Ivan Toney left Brentford for Al Ahli and Victor Osimhen traded Napoli for Galatasaray.

Other forwards were also considered, but Arsenal decided not to compromise. That decision has looked increasingly questionable as the team has struggled to find a consistent rhythm in the final third.

Their impressive potency from set pieces has gone from a welcome side hustle to arguably their principal threat, particularly when Ødegaard was absent for several weeks with an ankle problem and more recently, as Saka is now out until March following hamstring surgery.

Arsenal's build-up play has long focused on the Ødegaard and Saka combination down the right, supported by Ben White from full-back. Prior to that second leg against Bayern in April, then-Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel made no secret of it: "With Saka and Ødegaard, they always attack on the right. They try to create an overlap there."

Saka is unavailable now, as was Ødegaard earlier in the campaign, while White has been missing since November due to knee surgery.

Ødegaard returned in fine form initially, Saka's numbers remained impressive until his injury and Jurriën Timber did his best to replace White, but this avenue of attack has not been as effective this term. That problem has been compounded by Gabriel Martinelli's loss of form on the left -- leading to his omission from the starting lineup for Wednesday's north London derby -- and Kai Havertz has regressed in front of goal amid social media abuse aimed at him and his family.

This isn't to say Arsenal are collapsing -- far from it. They have lost only two league games this season, and the gap to Liverpool is just about manageable as things stand. Yet the nagging feeling that they need something extra in attack is inescapable. A point that is often underplayed is that the Gunners are not necessarily focused on an out-and-out striker.

Arteta tends to like players capable of operating in a number of positions, and it says something about the squad depth that Saka's injury suddenly left 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri trying to fill his shoes on the right wing. Gabriel Jesus could have played there -- sources suggest he would actually quite like to more often -- but there are now fears he will be out for the rest of the season after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee.

Martinelli has looked inconclusive on the right flank, while Sterling made only his third league start of the season against Spurs and was better without the ball than with it. The possibility of signing someone more suited to playing out wide might well appeal, especially given Arteta's passionate defence of Havertz as a central striker.

Sources have told ESPN that after losing to Bayern, senior figures at the club expressed a belief that they needed a little more spark in the final third. Such a thing could come from a striker or a wide player. So, whom could they go after?

Sources have told ESPN that there is a belief among those with knowledge of Sesko's situation at Leipzig that he could become available this summer. One source has suggested he could be available for a transfer fee of around 70 million or 75 million. It is unclear whether Leipzig would even consider sanctioning a January move, but Arsenal are yet to test their resolve.

Isak is arguably the in-form striker in Europe right now. A brace in Newcastle's 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers made it eight consecutive Premier League games in which the Sweden international has scored. Only three players have ever managed a longer streak: Ruud van Nistelrooy twice, Jamie Vardy twice and Daniel Sturridge.

The size of the transfer fee required to get Newcastle to part with Isak is unclear, but one source suggests it could cost as much as 150m. Whether that could be negotiated down remains to be seen, but he has a contract on Tyneside until 2028 and Newcastle are in the hunt for Champions League qualification. They are currently only six points behind Arsenal in the table and hold a clear advantage in their Carabao Cup semifinal tie with the Gunners, leading 2-0 from the first leg. Allowing him to leave now appears highly unlikely.

Arteta was coy when asked about Viktor Gyökeres prior to Arsenal's Champions League meeting with Sporting CP in late November. There is a clear feeling that if Gyökeres were to go anywhere, it would be to reunite with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but there are palpable concerns regarding profit and sustainability rules (PSR) at Old Trafford that would suggest they lack the budget to complete such a deal this month.

Were Arsenal to consider a wide player, Athletic Club's Nico Williams has been on their radar for some time, and sources have told ESPN that the 22-year-old's contract has a release clause of approximately 60 million. Barcelona are widely reported to be monitoring Williams' situation, but a January deal might not be straightforward for anyone: sources have told ESPN that Williams did not leave in the summer, at least in part, because he wants to play a potential UEFA Europa League final at Athletic's San Mamés Stadium.

The Gunners -- along with Tottenham -- were also tracking Matheus Cunha, but reports suggest he is close to signing a new deal to stay at Wolves.

Elsewhere, Brentford boss Thomas Frank has ruled out the possibility of Bryan Mbeumo leaving the club this month. Teammate Yoane Wissa is admired by several Premier League clubs.

Arsenal have previously been linked with Lille's Jonathan David -- whose contract expires at the end of the season -- and Dusan Vlahovic, who is set to face renewed competition for places at Juventus with the imminent arrival of Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal looked at Vlahovic three years ago in that January window when Aubameyang left, but ultimately believed his representatives were only serious about a move to Juventus from Fiorentina at the time. Whether something has changed in the intervening time remains to be seen.

January is always a difficult window for all clubs and no option is easy, but there is certainly a feeling among many supporters that something has to change at Arsenal if they are to do everything within their power to maximise their title chances.

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic says he will stop coaching world number six Elena Rybakina after the Australian Open.

The pair started working together in mid-December on a trial basis.

Rybakina, a former finalist at Melbourne Park, lost 6-3 1-6 6-3 to Madison Keys in the fourth round on Monday.

On Tuesday, Ivanisevic posted on Instagram that he would not be continuing with Rybakina, writing: "After our trial period that finished with the Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team best of luck moving forward."

Ivanisevic previously coached 24-time Grand Slam men's champion Novak Djokovic in 12 of his major wins.

Rybakina announced at the start of January that she wanted to bring her former coach Stefano Vukov back into the team - despite Vukov being provisionally banned by the WTA.

Vukov, 37, has been suspended by the women's governing body while an investigation into his conduct towards the player continues.

Vukov has denied any wrongdoing and Rybakina has said she never made any complaints about him.

Croat Vukov was not given credentials to attend the Australian Open as part of 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina's team.

Alexander Zverev continued his bid for an elusive first Grand Slam title with victory over Tommy Paul to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

The German second seed won 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-0) 2-6 6-1 against the American 12th seed on Rod Laver Arena.

The victory was 27-year-old Zverev's seventh in a row and continues his unbeaten start to his season.

"I should have been down two sets, he played better than me and I was not playing great," Zverev said.

"The fourth set was definitely the best I played and I'm happy to be back in the semi-finals."

Zverev previously reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2020 and 2024.

He will play either 10-time champion Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz - who beat Zverev in the French Open final last year - in this year's last four.

The match will be Zverev's ninth Grand Slam semi-final - the most among active players who have not won a major.

NEW ORLEANS -- CJ McCollum highlighted a 45-point performance with 3-pointers and reverse layups in the clutch.

Dejounte Murray's relentless pressure on both ends of the court left him one rebound short of a triple-double.

And the New Orleans Pelicans pulled off the largest comeback in franchise history.

As injury-ridden, star-crossed and generally miserable as much of their season has been, the Pelicans don't seem inclined to give up.

"Huge credit to our guys in the locker room pulling together," Pelicans coach Willie Green said after his team erased a 25-point Utah lead and beat the Jazz 123-119 in overtime Monday night. "This was a hard game to win."

Little has gone right for New Orleans this season.

Star power forward Zion Williamson, who recently returned from a left hamstring injury, couldn't play against Utah on Monday because of a non-COVID illness. He has missed 34 of the Pelicans' 44 games this season.

New Orleans' top defender, Herb Jones, is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, while high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram has missed 20 straight games with a left ankle sprain.

The Pelicans had further matchup problems inside against Utah because rookie 7-foot center Yves Missi missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness.

Utah outrebounded New Orleans 63-45, had 23 second-chance points and outscored the Pelicans 60-40 in the paint. Yet New Orleans (12-32), which will be hard-pressed to climb back into contention for a postseason berth, won its fourth straight game and seventh in 10.

"We were missing some guys who rebound the ball well," McCollum said. "Sometimes, it's not Xs and Os. It's Jimmies and Joes."

The 33-year-old McCollum has scored 45 or more points twice in 10 games, starting with 50 in a victory over Washington on Jan. 3.

"CJ was incredible and once he got going I thought his teammates did a great job of trying to find him," Green said. "We were drawing stuff up for him. He executed offensively over and over again. Without that effort, it's hard for us to win that game."

Now in his 12th NBA season, McCollum said he likes to think his game will "age well."

"I ain't out here dunking on people," he said. "It's skill. It's strategy. It's angles. It's footwork. It's a jump shot that never leaves. I'll be able to shoot when I'm 40."

Murray, who missed 17 games early this season with a hand injury, also is rounding into form and had 26 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and two steals on Monday.

"He was super, super aggressive when we needed him to be," McCollum said.

Meanwhile, Trey Murphy III prolonged his recent run of productive form with 24 points, highlighted by a 3 late in overtime that all but sealed it. Additional help came from 2023 first-round draft choice Jordan Hawkins, who hit three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points.

McCollum lamented that one of New Orleans' three most recent losses came by a single point in Boston, where he missed a last-second floater for the win.

"I don't take these wins for granted because it took us like two months to get five wins," McCollum said. "You've got to ride the wave and just keep your perspective in check."

The Pelicans were scheduled to play next on Wednesday night at home against Milwaukee. In the meantime, McCollum planned to make the best of a day off on Tuesday, when a rare snow storm was forecast for south Louisiana.

"I hope there's lots of snow," said McCollum, a father of a 3-year-old boy, "so I can play in the snow with my son."

People call me a 'late bloomer' because of what happened last year.

I had never gone past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament before, and then I reached the Australian Open fourth round before my runs at the French Open and Wimbledon.

I also had more success in the doubles and won Olympic gold with my good friend Sara Errani in Paris. It was a special, special year.

So what changed? Of course, things don't change overnight.

Every week we tried to add something which improved my game and, of course, winning matches is what really helps.

I had a good finish to the 2023 season which meant I started 2024 with more confidence in my game.

I was nervous when I came to Melbourne because I had never gone past the first round here.

After I won the first match here, I felt a huge amount of relief and things continued to improve.

I reached the fourth round before losing to Anna Kalinskaya, so a run like that gave me much more confidence for the whole year.

Because I'm in my late 20s, sometimes I thought the chance of having this kind of success had gone.

Paula Badosa stunned Coco Gauff at the Australian Open to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final - just one year after fearing she would have to retire from tennis.

The Spaniard, a former world number two, spent almost two years struggling with back problems and fell to 140th in the rankings

But, after a strong end to 2024, Badosa's comeback continued in sensational fashion as she ended American Gauff's 13-match winning streak with a 7-5 6-4 victory.

"I'm a bit emotional - as you know, I'm a very emotional person," Badosa said.

"I've been through a lot. I was in the past one of the best players in the world but I think now I'm a better player."

Badosa was named the WTA's Comeback Player of the Year in 2024 after recovering from a stress fracture in her spine that saw her miss two of the four majors in 2023.

The 27-year-old won her first title in over two years at August's Washington Open before reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open a month later.

"A year ago I was here with my back and I didn't know if I had to retire from this sport," 11th seed Badosa said.

"Now I'm here playing against the best in the world. I won today, I'm in the semi-finals.

"I will never think that a year after I would be here. This is a dream come true."

She will face either two-time defending champion and close friend Aryna Sabalenka or Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Hockey Club captain Clayton Keller went to the locker room a minute into the second period against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night after a puck struck him in the face.

A shot from teammate Michael Kesselring was deflected high and the puck struck Keller. He immediately ripped off his helmet, skated off the ice, and headed to the locker room.

Keller received 12 stitches, eventually returning to the ice with 4:40 left in the second with swelling and a cut above his eye. He assisted on Utah's first goal of the game 40 seconds later and added an empty-netter late in the 5-2 win over the Jets.

"I'm feeling great," he said after the win. "I got lucky, it didn't catch my eye. When it happened, it happened so fast, I didn't really feel much. You know, I tried to look through my eye, and I knew I could. So, I really wasn't too worried after that."

Keller has 10 goals and 20 assists over his past 22 games. He had a goal and three assists in Utah's 4-2 win over St. Louis on Saturday, matching his NHL career high with four points.

"It's a little tough sometimes, just because you're so locked in," Keller said of the wait before he returned to action. "You have a ton of energy, and then I was kind of sitting there for 20 minutes just laying down on my back. So, when I came back out, I just tried to get my legs into it, and be simple."

Keller leads the expansion club in points (50) and assists (34) this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Following his team's 34-23 loss to Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship game, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman sat in the middle of his two teary-eyed team captains and took ownership for a multitude of mistakes that were ultimately too much to overcome when it mattered the most.

With quarterback Riley Leonard sitting to his right, and sixth-year senior linebacker Jack Kiser on his left, Freeman said there were uncharacteristic mistakes and breakdowns in communication that put the Irish in a 24-point hole in the third quarter they couldn't overcome.

"You're always making mistakes, but those type of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points," Freeman said. "I think that's probably the biggest thing that has stuck out to me even in between series, the communication. 'Hey, we're good, we got it.' Well, we can't make mistakes. It falls on my shoulders. And as the head coach, we have to prepare and be better prepared for this moment. These guys gave everything they got."

Notre Dame, which was seeking its first national title since 1988, snapped a 13-game winning streak and suffered its first loss since Sept. 7 against Northern Illinois. After opening with an 18-play, 75-yard scoring drive during which Leonard ran nine times for 34 carries, including the game's first touchdown, Notre Dame's offense fell flat.

Leonard completed just one pass over five yards downfield in the first half, and two of his five completions were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. His average completion was just 2.2 yards downfield.

"We couldn't run Riley every play," Freeman said. "It's not right for Riley, and it's not going to sustain the success we needed offensively. We ran him a whole bunch that first series, and you look at the second series, we had two penalties which ended up forcing us to punt, and in the third series we had the miscommunication with the muffed snap, and that's the end of the half."

After the game, Leonard apologized "to everybody for the way that I played after that drive in the second quarter because it's unacceptable." He finished with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdowns, becoming the second FBS player this season with 20 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing.

"You see the next three drives after that, penalties and miscommunications," Leonard said. "And all that stuff is on me. That first drive we just came out and played Notre Dame football, took advantage of our match-ups when we had to. We just drove the ball down the field. We had to run the ball a little bit. Everything was just clicking.

"Then the next couple drives maybe I got relaxed a little bit, and I can't let that happen," he said. " ... These are things that aren't necessarily physical but just like the mental side of things that I can't make certain mistakes. I've just got to live with that and respond."

In the first half, 20 of Ohio State's 33 plays were run in Notre Dame territory (61%). Notre Dame couldn't get off the field on third down, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed each of his first 13 passes, and he was 11-11 in the first half targeting wide receivers.

There was one completion, though, that might be remembered more than the rest. With 2:38 left in the game, Ohio State was facing a third-and-11 from their own 34-yard line when Howard connected with freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard completion. It was the first time he was targeted in the second half -- and all he needed. The play eventually set up Ohio State's 33-yard field goal that sealed the win.

"It was do or die," Freeman said. "It was that type of down. If they run it and they get a 1st down -- we've got to get them stopped, and we thought at that moment the best way to get them stopped is to run zero pressure. We have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.

"There was times in the second half that we did in man coverage, but he's a heck of a player," Freeman said of Smith. "He's difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they'll find ways to pick you apart. You want to play man, they'll find ways to get him the ball. It's a talented offense, with that situation right there."

Kiser, who had a hard time reflecting on his time at Notre Dame without getting choked up, said in spite of the loss, Notre Dame is heading in the right direction.

"I think when you look at the six years I've been here, what I remember is the people," said Kiser, who got an encouraging pat on his knee from Freeman while he was talking. "From when I was a small underclassman just trying to learn the ways, looking at a Drew White, Bo Bauer, to being a guy running with my boys in JD and Marist, and then this year coming back and feeling like I had a chip on my shoulder and getting to meet amazing guys like Riley coming in and just kind of going on the journey we went on.

"To have Coach Freeman -- yeah, it's about the people," he said, his voice breaking up. "It's the people that's made this place different."

In the fourth quarter, on fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Freeman opted to try a 27-yard field goal instead of keeping the offense on the field. Mitch Jeter's kick said into the left upright, and the metallic clink of the ricochet could be heard in Mercedez Benz Stadium. Ohio State coach Ryan Day raised both of his hands in the air in celebration.

Freeman said that had it been a shorter fourth-down, he probably would have gone for it. Notre Dame finished this season 4-for-10 on kicks inside the 40 this season, the worst field goal percentage on those kicks in the FBS.

"I just thought instead of being down 16, let's try to go down 13," he said. "I know it's still a two-score game, but you have a better probability of getting 14 points than you do 16 points. If it was a shorter fourth and goal situation, I probably would have gone for it, but I just felt fourth and nine was not a great chance for us to make that and decided to kick it, and we didn't make it."

Still, Freeman said the journey Notre Dame has been on this season and the players in the locker room made him better.

"You sit up here and you listen to these two guys speak and the passion they have for Notre Dame and each other in that locker room, I'm just sitting here listening like this is one of the greatest gifts in life is to be able to be the leader of this program because you have great young people like this that share the blame -- share the success when you win and own the blame when you lose. "But I'm better because of them," he said.

"But we just have to be better. I've got to make sure we prepare better for this next opportunity that we have in the future."