CHICAGO -- Spencer Knight made 41 saves in his first game with his new team, helping the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Monday night.

Defensemen Alec Martinez and Ethan Del Mastro scored for the Blackhawks, who opened a three-game homestand with their second consecutive win. Ilya Mikheyev, Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Donato also scored.

Knight was acquired by Chicago when it traded defenseman Seth Jones to Florida on Saturday night.

"That's a team win right there," Knight said in his postgame, on-ice interview. "That's just not one person. I've always loved coming to play here as an away opponent. But playing here as a Blackhawk is 10 times better."

Anze Kopitar scored his 14th goal for Los Angeles, which dropped its fourth straight game. Darcy Kuemper stopped 14 shots.

Mikheyev snapped a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal 46 seconds into the second period. The Blackhawks then caught a break when Del Mastro sent the puck toward the net and it went in off the left skate of Kings defenseman Jacob Moverare.

Del Mastro was credited with his second goal in 13 career games. He also scored in Chicago's 7-5 loss at Vegas on Thursday night.

The Blackhawks closed it out when Donato got an empty-netter with 1:30 left. It was Donato's 22nd goal of the season, extending his career high.

Dating back to his final three starts with the Panthers, Knight has now won four straight games.

"I want to play, and our goal is to win here," Knight said. "We're going to go to winning hockey here at some point, and that's what we're working towards."

The Kings have managed just six goals during their four-game slide.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Utah Hockey Club signed Olli Maatta to a three-year contract extension Monday, rewarding the Finnish defenseman for helping the team stay on the edge of playoff race in the Western Conference.

It is worth $10.5 million, according to a person with knowledge of the contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not announced.

Maatta will count $3.5 million against the salary cap from when the new deal kicks in next NHL season through 2027-28.

"Olli is a smart defenseman and a true professional on and off the ice," general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement. "He has brought stability to our blue line, has a tremendous work ethic and is an excellent role model for our younger players. We look forward to having him as an important part of our core moving forward."

Maatta, 30, has thrived in 51 games with Utah since coming over in a trade from Detroit in late October. Maatta has two goals and 12 assists for 14 points. He has skated an average of nearly 21 minutes a game.

"Olli has made an immediate and noticeable impact and a positive impression on everyone in our group," president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. "He is an important influence on the culture we continue to foster and the standards we have for our team. We are grateful for the commitment he is making to our organization."

Utah is Maatta's fifth NHL organization. Drafted in the first round by Pittsburgh in 2012, he won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 before getting traded to Chicago in 2019 and spending time with the Blackhawks, the Los Angeles Kings and the Red Wings.

Maatta has played in 827 regular-season and playoff games since making his debut in the league in 2013. Last month, he played for Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"Congrats Olli," owner Ryan Smith posted on social media. "We love what you bring to this organization."

Formerly the Arizona Coyotes before relocating to Salt Lake City, Utah is two points back of the second and final wild card in the West with 21 games left to play. New ownership led by Smith has narrowed the finalists for the permanent name down to Utah Mammoth, Utah Hockey Club and Utah Outlaws.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Seth Jones impressed his Florida Panthers teammates in his debut Monday night, but it's anyone's guess when Matthew Tkachuk will be sharing the ice with his newest teammate.

Jones played just under 23 minutes and nearly scored a goal in the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers' 2-1 victory over their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning.

"He's an unbelievable skater, a great guy," said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 28 shots to help the Panthers stretch their win streak to four games. "Played well both sides of the puck. I'm excited to have him. He's a great addition to our team."

Earlier Monday, the Panthers confirmed that their star forward Tkachuk is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. That means he won't be back for a few weeks -- and possibly not until the postseason.

"Matthew's going to be out for an extended period of time," Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said at Jones' introductory news conference. "We hope to get him back for the playoffs. You have a projection, you have a diagnosis and a rehab course of action. How and where and in what manner is the progress of that rehab is yet to be determined."

Losing Tkachuk, who hasn't played since the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last month, is a big blow. Adding Jones, the stellar defenseman who was acquired over the weekend in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, is a big boost.

"I wanted to play for a contender and Florida was obviously at the top of my list when it came to that," said Jones, who hasn't appeared in a playoff game since 2020. "I want to fit in with this team, be a part of the system, come and bring my game, play hard defensively, help a little bit offensively, really just fit into the system and bring what I can, whatever's asked of me."

Panthers fans were excited before the five-time All-Star even took the ice Monday night -- they welcomed Jones with a fervent applause and ovation when he was announced in the starting lineup at Florida's Amerant Bank Arena. And they roared again when Jones nearly scored a goal in the second period.

The plan was to ease him into things while he learns the Eastern Conference and some new systems, but in a tight game between two bitter rivals, Jones got plenty of special teams action and helped Florida kill off seven penalties.

"He's going to be really good for us," coach Paul Maurice said. "Moves the puck clean, and he's got a set of hands on him. So I thought for flying in yesterday to get here, and then everything [being] brand new, mostly he's playing on instinct out there. ... I was really pleased."

Few Panthers players know what Jones can bring more than Bobrovsky, who played alongside him on the Columbus Blue Jackets from the 2015-16 season to 2018-19.

"He still was amazing," Bobrovsky recalled. "And, you know, he was an amazing skater. He was smart. It was a privilege to play with him. And I'm so, so happy to reunite with him again."

Bobrovsky had a new backup on the bench for this win. Having dealt Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks in the Jones deal Saturday night, Florida on Sunday recalled veteran Chris Driedger, 30, from the club's AHL affiliate. Driedger has NHL experience, including 31 career wins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is at 3 p.m. ET Friday.

While a number of blockbusters have already happened -- including Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers -- there are some big names still reportedly available to contenders.

So, who gets traded next?

ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski devised logical trades that could happen before the deadline and benefit all teams involved, keeping salary cap implications in mind.

Let's start with a deal that could substantially shift the balance of power in the Western Conference.

San Diego FC intends to take steps to discourage its fans from engaging in the anti-gay that marred the Major League Soccer expansion club's inaugural home match last weekend.

The club again condemned the chant in a statement Monday, two days after San Diego's scoreless draw with St. Louis City. The second half of that home opener at Snapdragon Stadium featured three instances of the offensive chant frequently heard at Mexico national team matches.

"What took place during our first-ever home match does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for," the club statement read. "The sport of football brings people together, and in San Diego, that inclusive spirit thrives. The use of homophobic language in our stadium is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Diego FC is built on respect and the belief that soccer is for everyone. We are committed to fostering an environment where all fans, players and staff feel safe and welcome.

"We will take immediate steps to address this behavior and will communicate a detailed plan prior to the next home match."

San Diego FC hosts Columbus on March 15.

Head coach Mikey Varas and sporting director Tyler Heaps decried the notorious chant after San Diego finished its scoreless home debut at a stadium packed with 34,506 fans celebrating the arrival of MLS' 30th team.

Varas said the fans who participated in the chant shouldn't attend San Diego FC's matches in the future.

"I just want to make very clear that it has no place here," Varas said Saturday. "If they're going to continue to come to the game and make that chant, it's better that they don't come here."

The one-word slur in Spanish is typically made by fans while the opposing goalkeeper takes a goal kick, and it regularly occurs in both club soccer and national team soccer in Mexico. It's also become a regrettable staple in the Mexican national team's matches in the U.S.

The Mexican national team has been fined repeatedly by FIFA for its fans' behavior regarding the chant, which has forced both stoppages in play and the shortening of a match between El Tri and the United States in recent years.

The chant nevertheless persists, and it seems likely to be an issue at North America's 2026 World Cup, which will feature 13 matches in Mexico.

Vinícius Júnior has said he is excited about the possibility of Neymar returning to the Brazil squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina.

Brazil will name their squad on Thursday, with Neymar expected to be included.

The 33-year-old has not played for Brazil since the country's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 when he picked up a serious knee injury that kept him sidelined for a year.

"The expectation is great because he is the idol of our generation," Vinícius said of Neymar to TNT Brasil.

He returned to boyhood club Santos in the January transfer window looking to rediscover his form after injuries limited him to only seven appearances in over 18 months at Saudi side Al Hilal.

Neymar revealed he is "getting back into my best physical shape" after scoring in Sunday's 2-0 win against Bragantino, his third goal in his last four games for Santos.

"We are very happy that he returned to Santos," Vinícius said. "That he has returned to score and that he is happy, which is always the most important thing."

Neymar came off in the 76th minute of Sunday's game with a thigh problem and had to receive treatment on the bench.

However, he later reassured fans that he is fine.

Brazil are fifth in their World Cup qualifying group, seven points adrift of leaders Argentina after 12 games.

Dorival Júnior's side have won five and lost four of their qualifying matches.

Brazil have two games coming up, against Colombia in Brasilia on March 20 and the South American 'classico' against world champions Argentina in Buenos Aires five days later.

"It could be two wonderful games because it is against Colombia and Argentina," Vinícius said.

Serie A is exploring plans to play regular-season matches in the U.S. within the next three years, according to the league's commercial and marketing director Michele Ciccarese.

The possibility of hosting games abroad has become more likely after New York-based company Relevent, a company run by Miami Dolphins' billionaire owner Stephen Ross, settled in their antitrust lawsuit with FIFA over the ability for leagues to host games in foreign territories. FIFA subsequently said they would reconsider their statute barring such matches, though they have yet to issue any new policies on the matter.

Relevent remain in a legal battle with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) over that ability, but given the federation had previously used FIFA policy to only allow exhibition matches to take place, it seems probable that there will be games from European leagues played in the U.S. in the near future.

"All the different leagues are discussing the possibility of playing a regular-season game [abroad]," Ciccarese said in quotes reported by The Athletic. "If you look at the NFL, they're playing in Germany, they're playing in London, they are going to play in Australia. So there are a lot of things happening that make the possibility [more real]."

Asked about a timescale for the games to take place in the U.S., Ciccarese added that several bodies would still need to approve a proposition: "I would say that it's up to us to put together the piece of the puzzle and present a proper strategy to the authorities. This is what we are doing, and who knows, maybe in a window of one to two years, we will see the league playing if the approvals come.

"For us, we need the approval of the Italian Federation, with the approval of UEFA, then it goes up to FIFA, and then it goes back to the local community."

Discussions around games taking place in the U.S. have previously focused on Spain's LaLiga, with the division's president Javier Tebas repeatedly speaking of his desire to play a regular-season game abroad. When reports emerged last October of a possible Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid game taking place in Miami , sources told ESPN that the news "would not have come out" if both clubs did not maintain an interest in being involved -- though December 2024 proved too soon for the contest to take place in Florida.

Spain's football federation, however, has staunchly opposed proposals to play LaLiga matches abroad.

However, Ciccarese said Serie A is hoping to beat its Spanish rival to playing a competitive game in the U.S., adding that he is wary of the reaction of fanbases in Italy to games taking place outside the country.

"We would love to do it as the [Serie A] president [Ezio Simonelli has] said. We are working in order to potentially do it but there are barriers that we need to overcome with the right strategy in place and with the support of the clubs, without forgetting that players are players and they have a lot of competition, when they have to play Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League and play in international trophies," Ciccarese said.

"It's always a race to try to be the trendsetter because then the followers come and the trendsetter is the one who benefits more potentially in terms of revenues of making this thing happen.

"So again, it should be done in a way that makes sense for the club without forgetting the fans because you cannot play a Milan derby in America because the fans in Italy will get very upset as that game has a big meaning in Italy, so we have to play in a way that is respectful of our audience."

Manchester City have been dealt another injury blow after Nathan Aké underwent foot surgery.

The Netherlands defender was forced off at half-time of the 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Aké, who has been restricted to just 18 appearances in all competitions this season, had an operation on a long-standing foot problem on Monday and is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

In a post on social media, Aké said: "This has been such a frustrating season for me but I've now had successful surgery on a fracture in my foot which has been bothering me for months and I'm looking positively to the future."

City are not yet putting a timescale on Aké's return.

Pep Guardiola's team have 11 more league games plus an FA Cup quarterfinal against Bournemouth.

Their season will be extended with their participation in the FIFA's Club World Cup, which kicks off in the U.S. in June.

Aké's absence will be a concern for Guardiola, who has already lost John Stones to injury.

The England defender could be out for as long as 10 weeks with a muscle problem picked up during the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

Manuel Akanji is also injured leaving Rúben Dias as Guardiola's only fit senior centre-back.

January signings Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are set to play a key role between now and the end of the season while Josko Gvardiol, usually deployed as a left-back by Guardiola, can also fill in.

City's early Champions League exit means they have a free week before returning to action against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.