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Penguins acquire veteran
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Brett Kulak is on the move for the second time this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins sent the veteran defenseman to Colorado on Tuesday in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 draft.
Kulak played 25 games in Pittsburgh after being acquired in a December trade that shipped two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to Edmonton. Kulak has one goal and eight assists in 56 combined games this season for the Penguins and Oilers. Kulak's arrival gives the Avalanche an experienced stay-at-home defenseman as Colorado tries to hold on to the top spot in the Western Conference.
The 27-year-old Girard is a 10-year NHL veteran who has spent the last eight-plus seasons with the Avalanche. Girard, who is signed through the 2026-27 season, had three goals and nine assists in 40 games this season with Colorado.
The additional draft capital the Penguins picked up in the deal gives them 34 picks overall over the next four drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds.
President honors USA men's hockey team
WASHINGTON -- The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men's hockey team visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night.
Trump also announced that the women's hockey team, which also defeated Canada to win gold, will "soon" visit the White House. The women's team had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union due to the timing of the address.
Men's players entered the House chamber through two sets of doors and walked down the rows of the press gallery. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle not only stood and cheered but chanted "USA!" several times, many even pumping fists. Rep. Lisa McClain, the Republican House Conference Chair, shouted "Love you!" to the players.
"I want to thank you all," Trump told the players. "What a special job you did. What special champions you are."
Trump also said goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Hellebuyck tapped his heart as those in the chamber applauded.
Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides showed the hockey players posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.
Oklahoma State beats West Virginia in OT
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Kanye Clary scored 17 points and Oklahoma State scored the first seven points of overtime to help beat West Virginia 91-84 on Tuesday night and end the Cowboys' five-game losing streak.
Anthony Roy converted a three-point play, Parsa Fallah added a free throw and Jaylen Curry capped the extra-period surge with a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma State an 84-77 lead with 1:55 remaining. West Virginia pulled within five points twice inside the final 33 seconds but no closer.
The Mountaineers trailed by 14 points early in the second half.
Fallah and Clary each made a 3 to give Oklahoma State a 77-72 lead with 3:06 left in regulation. Chance Moore made 1 of 2 free throws, tipped in a shot and added a layup to knot it at 77. Clary missed a 3 at the buzzer to force overtime.
Fallah scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Oklahoma State (17-11, 5-10 Big 12). Curry added 15 points and Andrija Vukovic scored 12. Roy and Christian Coleman scored 10 apiece.
Honor Huff made six 3s and scored 20 points to lead West Virginia (16-12, 7-8). Treysen Eaglestaff added 18 points and Moore finished with 14 to go with 10 rebounds.
Oklahoma State scored the last nine points of the first half to take a 46-33 advantage. Two minutes into the second half, Vukovic made a pair of free throws to give the Cowboys their largest lead, 49-35.
West Virginia used a 10-0 run to take its first lead, 56-55, with 10:48 left.
West Virginia will host No. 19 BYU on Saturday.
Cavaliers pull away irom Knicks
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine games.
Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 18 for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson pulled down 15 rebounds, one off a season high.
New York shot 35 of 86 as Bridges and Brunson were a combined 12 of 36. The Knicks shot 27% from 3-point range (10 of 37). Cleveland came into the game with the fourth-worst defense in the league on 3-pointers.
The Cavaliers and Knicks are both 37-22 and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. But New York would have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge if the teams are tied at the end of the season after taking two of three meetings.
Cleveland had a 60-54 halftime advantage before taking control in the third quarter. It outscored New York 23-11 in the period, and held the Knicks to 3 of 24 from the field.
Harden had eight points in the quarter and Allen scored six.
It was the worst shooting quarter by the Knicks since they went 3 of 20 in the fourth quarter of a 2018 game against Boston.
The last time the Cavaliers held a team to three or fewer field goals was last season against Minnesota (2 of 20).
Cleveland was up 71-63 before going on a 13-2 run during a five-minute span late in the third and early in the fourth.
The Cavaliers' largest lead was 98-78 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers will play at Milwaukee tonight to start a three-game road trip.
President honors USA men's hockey team
WASHINGTON -- The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men's hockey team visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night.
Trump also announced that the women's hockey team, which also defeated Canada to win gold, will "soon" visit the White House. The women's team had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union due to the timing of the address.
Men's players entered the House chamber through two sets of doors and walked down the rows of the press gallery. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle not only stood and cheered but chanted "USA!" several times, many even pumping fists. Rep. Lisa McClain, the Republican House Conference Chair, shouted "Love you!" to the players.
"I want to thank you all," Trump told the players. "What a special job you did. What special champions you are."
Trump also said goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Hellebuyck tapped his heart as those in the chamber applauded.
Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides showed the hockey players posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.
As they approached the Oval Office, some of the players popped into the press office's open door to flash the medals from their 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. It was the Americans' first gold medal in men's hockey since the "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.
Staffers applauded and shouted, "We love you!"
"I recognize every one of you. I know every one of you," Trump said as the players entered the Oval Office, which he has redecorated with numerous flourishes of gold that matched the players' medals.
"Big guys," he said, standing near his desk and shaking hands with the players, who wore dark tops with "USA," the American flag and the Olympic rings on the front and light-colored pants.
After their victory, a video that circulated on social media appeared to show Trump inviting the team on a phone call in the locker room, as he joked that he'd also have to invite the women's team. After the president announced the women soon would receive a White House visit, the men's players made thumbs-up gestures while watching from up high.
For forward Matthew Tkachuk, the trip to the White House was becoming a regular visit.
"Good to see you again," Tkachuk told Trump, as the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion made his third White House trip in just over 12 months. For some of the approximately 20 players who made the trip, this was a first.
Tkachuk, who won those Cups with the Florida Panthers, posted pictures on social media of members of the team celebrating on what appears to be a U.S. government plane and a group shot of them deplaning at Joint Base Andrews. The team chartered into Miami on a flight from Italy on Monday, and then dined together in Miami Beach and visited a nightclub where hundreds of fans clamored to get inside. They were also given a heroes' welcome at Miami International Airport.
"Our sport just got the biggest stage in the world of sport," Panthers general manager Bill Zito, an assistant GM for the Olympic team, said Tuesday. "That's wonderful. And we need to celebrate it."
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AP White House reporter Seung Min Kim and AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics