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Islanders Kings Hockey

Panarin, Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist apiece forthe Kings, and Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves. Samuel Helenius and Alex Laferriere also scored in just Los Angeles' second victory since January.

Kings captain Anze Kopitar had an assist while playing his 1,500th game, becoming the 25th player in NHL history to hit the mark. The Slovenian center,who is retiring this springafter 20 seasons in Los Angeles, is just five points away from passing Marcel Dionne to become the Kings' career scoring leader.

Bo Horvatscored an improbable goaloff a faceoff taken with a second left in the second period for the Islanders, but it didn't prevent a second straight blowout loss for New York in Southern California.

Adam Pelech scored the second short-handed goal of his 11-year career and Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 shots for the Isles, who had won five straight before losingto Anaheimand Los Angeles by a combined 10-4 over the past two nights.

Emil Heineman scored with 1:59 to play while Sorokin was pulled for the final 8 1/2 minutes of the third period.

Smithreplaced Jim Hilleron Sunday after the Kings' slump took them out of playoff position. Los Angeles played decently in his debut whilelosing to NHL-leading Coloradoon Monday.

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Panarin had three assists in his first four games with the Kings, whoacquired the Russian star from the Rangersand signed him to a $22 million contract extension a month ago.

Panarin finally got his first Kings goal 3:17 after the opening faceoff when Kopitar found him utterly unmarked 10 feet from Sorokin. He also secured his 10th career 20-goal season.

Down 3-0, the Islanders finally scored on an unbelievable play: With one second showing on the clock, Jean-Gabriel Pageau won a faceoff straight to Horvat, who whipped a perfect one-timer past Kuemper's pad for his 26th goal.

Up next

Islanders: At San Jose on Saturday.

Kings: Host Montreal on Saturday.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

With 4:05 to play in the Lakers' 120-113 loss to the Nuggets, James drove for a layup but went down hard beyond the baseline.

Play went up to the other end, where the Lakers committed a foul. When the television cameras cut back to James on the floor, the broadcast microphones clearly picked up James saying, "My elbow. F---. F---."

James came out of the game for good at that point, with Los Angeles trailing 110-106.

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After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't have any details about James' prognosis.

"He fell on it," Redick said of James' elbow. "It was bothering him enough that he didn't feel comfortable (remaining in the game)."

Late in the first quarter of the game, James sank a jumper for his 15,838th career field goal, passing Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time NBA record.

Three years ago, James topped Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorers.

--Field Level Media

Carlson, 36, has been a career Capital, appearing in 1,143 games for the franchise over 17 seasons after he was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He owns basically every major franchise record for a defenseman — games played, goals (166), assists (605) and points (771) — and was a key component of the franchise's breakthrough Stanley Cup win in 2018. He finished in the top five in Norris Trophy voting three times, including a runner-up finish in 2019-20.

"Since joining our organization 17 years ago, John Carlson has exemplified what it means to be a Washington Capital every day," Capitals GM Chris Patricksaid in a statement. "John's determination, leadership, persistence and skill helped our franchise reach new heights and cemented him as a cornerstone and one of the greatest players in Capitals history. His contributions to our organization and the Washington, D.C., community both on and off the ice have been immeasurable.

"We are incredibly grateful for everything John has given to our team and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward with Anaheim."

So ... who won the deal?

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Capitals trade grade: A-

Sentimentality aside, getting a first-round pick — either this summer if the Ducks make the playoffs or next year — and third-round pick for a 36-year-old defenseman who will be a free agent this summer is a tidy bit of business. The Capitals are just four points out of the playoffs, but they are tied for the most games played in the conference. They made a shrewd decision to throw in the towel in what seems to be a seller's market, earlier on Thursday trading another veteran in Nic Dowd.

The Capitals now have 22 picks in the next three NHL drafts and clearly have their eyes on the future ... which could also see franchise icon Alex Ovechkin depart this summer with the 40-year-old's contract set to expire. A trade of a franchise icon is never fun, but this move helps set the Capitals up for more winning down the road.

Feb. 4: The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Liam Greentree and conditional third-round (2026) and fourth-round (2028) picks.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 27: The New York Islanders acquired left wing Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 20: The San Jose Sharks acquire forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks for second-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus defenseman Cole Clayton.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 16: The Anaheim Ducks acquire winger Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Anaheim will give up the better of the fourth-rounder previously acquired from Philadelphia and Detroit.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 8: The San Jose Sharks acquire goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for defensemen Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 fourth-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 29: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 third-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Minnesota Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Edmonton Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26

Ducks trade grade: B+

This trade feels very much like a win-win as the Ducks are adding a defenseman who can still get it done, particularly on the offensive end. Carlson has been quite productive again this season, scoring 10 goals and dishing 36 assists for 46 points in 55 games. He carries a plus-11 rating.

He also brings loads of playoff experience for a team that hasn't played spring hockey in a while, having appeared in 137 postseason contests, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. That's the last year the Ducks made the playoffs. Maybe you'd like to keep your first-round pick, but getting a player like Carlson comes at a price; plus, Anaheim is already oozing with young talent thanks to its years in the wilderness.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:John Carlson trade grades for Capitals-Ducks deal

At first blush, Thursday's opening of China's National People's Congress (NPC) looked ominous for Taiwan. Taking the podium in Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People, Premier Li Qiang unveiled a 7% bump on defense spending while using strident language for the self-ruling island, over whichChina claims dominion.

While vowing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would "accelerate the development of advanced combat capabilities," Li said China would "resolutely crack down on separatist activities" in Taiwan, a noted upgrade on last year's promise to simply "oppose" them.

GivenU.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing war with Iranhas depleted stocks of sophisticated weapons systems vital to defend the island, nerves were already jangling in Taiwan—as well as Ukraine, and, indeed, Washington. Questions about U.S. weapons reserves were raised during a closed-door briefing between senior Trump Administration officials and members of Congress on Tuesday,sources told TIME.

With the U.S. military depleted and distracted by a conflict on the other side of the globe, observers worried that Chinese strongman Xi Jinping may never have a better opportunity to move on the democratic island of 23 million, whose "reunification" he has called "the great trend of history." The fear is that Trump's transactional bearing and embrace of a "might is right" doctrine—both in his own actions and his ambivalence regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine—could be interpreted as a green light by Xi.

"Will Xi be tempted to take advantage of U.S. potentially exhausting smart munitions and attack Taiwan even if the PLA is not fully ready?" asks Prof. Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. "Possible."

However, other indicators point in the opposite direction: that the U.S. assault on Iran has in fact secured Taiwan's de facto independence—in the short-term, at least. While American officials have offered dubious and contradictory rationales for war, and what will eventually arise from the rubble is anything but clear, there's no denying that, operationally at least, the U.S. strikes have been a stunning success.

In the first four days of the conflict, the U.S attacked close to 2,000 targets, including 16 ships—sinking an Iranian frigate some 2,000 mi from Iran near Sri Lanka—as well as a submarine. Moreover, its successful decapitation strikes againstAyatollah Ali Khameneiand his chief acolytes—following thedaring captureof Venezuelan despot Nicolás Maduro—indicates a prowess of intelligence and wherewithal that contrasts with a PLA that hasn't fought a major war for almost half-a-century (and it lostthat one).

"The specter of a decapitation strike has been proven a more realistic scenario," says Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist based in Taiwan for the Australian National University. "China's first reaction will be: 'This could happen here.'"

Another factor is the suspect performance of China's own military equipment in Iran, which had reportedly purchased kamikaze drones and air-defense capabilities from Beijing. Moreover, Iran was negotiating to buy Chinese advanced anti-ship missiles, though it's unclear whether these had been installed. Beijing's best hope of saving face is that they were not yet operational. If they were, that is even more damning—not least after the advanced Chinese radar and anti-aircraft systems purchased by Venezuela failed to detect the U.S. stealth jets they were supposed to.

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"China will be looking to learn from the failings of their own equipment in both Venezuela and Iran," says Chong Ja Ian, professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore. "And I think they are somewhat surprised by the demonstration of U.S. force and its ability to execute pretty complex operations."

Then there are the effects of the Iran war itself. On a purely diplomatic level, China has been humbled. For decades, that Iranian proxies had targeted American allies with relative impunity had been a source ofschadenfreudefor Beijing. But that the world's No. 2 economy—which reveled in its peacemaking role after brokering thereestablishment of diplomatic tiesbetween Tehran and Riyadh in 2023—has been reduced to issuing glib condemnations and dispatching "peace envoys" to the region spotlights Beijing's true impotence. China is "proving to be a feckless friend for its authoritarian allies," Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China under President Joe Biden,wrote on X.

Economically, China also suffers. China was the top purchaser of both Venezuelan and Iranian oil, accounting for 4% and 13% of imports respectively. But more broadly, half of China's oil and almost a third of its liquefied natural gas comes from the Middle East, which is suffering widespread disruption especially in the Iranian-blockadedStrait of Hormuz. Beijing has significant oil reserves and is transitioning to green alternatives, though the clear message is that its near-term energy needs are acutely vulnerable to U.S. action.

Besides, Chinese designs on Taiwan hinge on the U.S. not getting involved. And while Trump's foreign policy has been schizophrenic to say the least—and alienating to his MAGA base—Washington's latestNational Defense Strategyclearly states the U.S. will "erect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain," which includes Taiwan. "My sense is Xi assumes America would come to Taiwan's defense and thus won't attack anytime soon," says Sean King, senior vice president focusing on Asia for consulting firm Park Strategies.

Indeed, while Li'sWork Reportdoes take a hawkish tone regarding Taiwan, there are caveats. The 7% defense budget bump is far greater than the GDP target of 4.5-5%—the lowest GDP target in decades—though notably less than the 7.2% defense budget of the previous three years. The PLA is also in the midst of a purge unprecedented since Mao's era, with the NPC removing nine military officials including several high-ranking generals from the PLA deputy list. Regarding anti-corruption efforts, Li said the "political rectification" of the military will "continue to deepen" to "uphold the Communist Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces." That the military purge is ongoing raises serious questions about the PLA's command structure and combat readiness for any Taiwan contingency.

Moreover, last year Li spoke of "improving" China's Taiwan policy framework, but this time he talked about "deepening" it, indicating things are already largely on the right track. The inference is that "Beijing only needs to 'do more,' rather than 'do things differently,' on Taiwan," says Sung.

This is largely because Taiwan's ruling China-skeptic Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) is all at sea, with low approval ratings, a deadlocked legislature, political infighting, and a failed recall campaign that aimed to unseat lawmakers for the pro-Beijing opposition Nationalist Party, or KMT. These doldrums have spurred a revival for the KMT, which seeks security in closer ties with Beijing. And the KMT's message is gaining credence precisely because of the mercurial nature of the Trump Administration, as spotlighted by the Iran war, which has cast grave doubt on U.S. security guarantees.

Indeed, Taiwan only featured towards the end of Li's Work Report, as is typical. The overall focus was overwhelmingly on fixing China's floundering economy, with action to tackle unemployment, a depressed real estate market, and boosting innovation.

After last year's dizzying exchange of tariffs and counter-tariffs, there are signs of a partial easing of trade frictions between China and the U.S., with Xi and Trump set to meet face-to-face at the end of this month. It's not in Xi's interests to rock the boat when the mood in Taiwan appears to be turning more conciliatory—even if purely out of expedience.

"It will be reckless for Xi to order an invasion unless he is absolutely sure the U.S. cannot interfere and victory is assured and at relatively low costs," says Tsang. "He has not been reckless in the last 13 years."

Write toCharlie Campbell atcharlie.campbell@time.com.

Iran is reportedly delaying naming asuccessorto AyatollahAli Khamenei, the Supreme Leader killed over the weekend in U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, for security concerns as Israel has asserted that it will target whoever is instated, while President Donald Trump has doubled down on wanting to influence the selection.

Read More:The U.S. and Israeli War With Iran, Explained

TheNew York Timesreported, citing two unnamed Iranian officials, that while Khamenei's second-eldest son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, has emerged as the strongestcontender to take Tehran's top job, no one has been named out of fear that they will be targeted.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katzposted on social mediaon Wednesday that any leader appointed by Iran to succeed Ali Khamenei would be "an unequivocal target for elimination," adding that "it does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides."

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Mojtaba Khamenei has largely stayed away from the public eye but has close relations with Iran's administrators and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But as his name has been floated, Trump has immediately voiced his rejection.

"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight," Trumptold Axioson Thursday, adding that it would be "unacceptable" if the Iranian leadership picked Mojtaba Khamenei. "We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran."

Trump said that he had to be "involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela," referring toDelcy Rodríguez, who became Venezuela's acting President with Trump's blessing after the U.S.captured former leader Nicolás Maduroin anextraordinary military operationearlier this year.

As for Iran, Trump toldNBC Newson Thursday that he'd want to remove the existing leadership structure. "We want to go in and clean out everything," he said. "We don't want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period. We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job."

But the U.S. President has held off so far on naming his ideal pick. Speaking to TIME for itscover story published Thursday, Trump said his objective is to install in Iran a leader "that is rational and sane."

Contact usatletters@time.com.

Officials discussed getting the Treasury Department involved, ​but believe its ability to meaningfully affect the market is limited, the report said.

Global oil prices have jumped since the war with Iran started on Saturday, as the spreading ‌conflict disrupts Middle East ⁠supplies. However, prices fell on Thursday for the first time in six days following reports ⁠that the U.S. may intervene in the futures market.

Officials were also hesitant to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve right ​away because ​it was now only about ​60% full, Bloomberg News ‌added.

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The White House and the Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

A senior White House official had said on Thursday that the Treasury was soon ‌expected to announce measures aimed at ​combating rising energy prices in ​the wake of the ​Iran conflict, including potential action involving the ‌oil futures market.

The details of ​the plan were ​unclear and the White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, declined to provide ​specifics, saying ‌they did not want to get ahead of the ​Treasury announcement.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing ​by Alexandra Hudson, Elaine Hardcastle)

James drove and hit a layup with just over 4 minutes to go, but he came down hard and immediately grasped at his elbow. TheAmazon Prime cameras captured James saying"elbow" and using some NSFW language as he was checked on.

Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James after the ensuing timeout and James received treatment from trainers while sitting on the bench, working his elbow area.

James' basket had cut the Lakers' deficit to 110-106 late. He returned to the court about two minutes later, with 2:05 on the clock and the Lakers trailing 112-111. James was removed for good with 22.3 seconds left

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The Nuggets held on to win, 120-113.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin, relaying what Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the contest, reported that James was "icing his left elbow after the game and that he was experiencing enough discomfort that it caused him to be unable to finish the game."

Earlier in the contest, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for most made field goals.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James injury update, why he left Lakers-Nuggets game in 4th