Hard as it might be to believe, the 2024-25 NHL season is already more than halfway over: The average team has played 53% (or 43.1 out of 82 games) of the regular-season schedule by now. That means struggling squads are quickly running out of time to turn things around -- a feeling of urgency made even more acute by the looming March 7 trade deadline, just 52 days from today.

There's a hierarchy to teams in the panic-mode category, too: Some are still right in the mix, such as the Boston Bruins, with playoff odds around a coin flip despite an underperforming start. Some are hanging on by a thread, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, knowing that they have to run up a string of wins while their rivals in the standings falter. And some, such as the Buffalo Sabres, need a miracle to keep their playoff hopes alive (or must simply decide to give up any pretense of competing down the stretch).

Let's look at 12 teams who had designs on the playoffs before the season but have found themselves with a postseason probability around 50% or lower -- sorting them into categories based on their current playoff odds and level of panic within each group.

Jump to a panic level:
Can fix this | Hanging on | Resigned to fate

We can still fix this

These are teams with playoff odds near 50-50 -- so they could still make it in, but they have a lot more work to do over the next few months.

Swedish football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, the first foreign coach to lead the England national team, died with debts of over 3.8 million ($4.64 million) following years of financial mismanagement.

Eriksson, who died in August last year at the age of 76 having earlier announced that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, left assets worth 4.8m but owed 8.64m.

Most of Eriksson's debts were tax-related in the UK, owing 7.25m to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), according to Swedish media reports.

Eriksson, who managed England between 2001 and 2006, had previously spoken of losing 10m to a financial adviser and admitted that he had no idea how much money he had or where it was.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday met with club CEO José Ángel Sanchez to discuss the state of the team and transfer options following their 5-2 Spanish Supercopa loss to Barcelona this past weekend, a source told ESPN.

The source stressed that the meeting was routine and downplayed any crisis, saying both sides discussed problems that have plagued Los Blancos since the start of the season.

Ancelotti and his coaching staff have asked for more defensive resources since the summer transfer window. Madrid were close to signing Leny Yoro to cover Nacho's departure but the young French player eventually signed for Manchester United and Real Madrid opted not to reinforce the back line.

Alphonso Davies was also a priority target but Madrid wanted to respect Bayern Munich and, despite the attempts during the year, did not try to sign him when he had only one year left on his contract. Madrid are still keeping an eye on the Canadian's future but the latest reports from Germany suggest that the player could renew his contract with the German giants.

As ESPN has reported, Madrid continue to seek a player to replace the injured right-back Dani Carvajal and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is their top defensive option. However, ESPN sources have said that Liverpool have already rejected an approach from Real Madrid to sign the full-back in the January transfer window, making it likely that the Spanish giants will wait until the summer to sign him on a free transfer,

Sources have told ESPN that Ancelotti and his coaching staff have not yet give up on January signings and await word from the club's board so they can reinforce the backline before the end of the month. Their other option is to boost the role of Raúl Asencio and, depending on their opponent, insist on Lucas Vázquez or even return Fede Valverde to right-back.

Another option for the club is defender David Alaba, who returned to the squad ahead of the Supercopa semifinal against Mallorca following a year-long layoff due to an extensive knee injury. The Austria international was sidelined for 12 months before making his return to training sessions with the group although he is not expected to play any competitive minutes until later in January and sources said the coaching staff is concerned it will take Alaba time to return to form. Defender Jesús Vallejo has seen little playing time.

The club has struggled without Carvajal and Éder Militão, who suffered a torn ACL back in November, and sources said there is concern as to how Real Madrid will fare in the Champions League. In addition to two straight losses to Barcelona, Los Blancos have also tasted defeat against AC Milan, Lille and Liverpool.

In LaLiga, they only managed a draw against Atlético Madrid, who now lead LaLiga at the close of the first half of the season.

The source said the club hopes the coach's usual calm demeanor will help turn the team's situation around and there is the general belief within the club that a LaLiga title is still within reach if performances improve over the second half of the season, whether the club can sign reinforcements or not.

Real Madrid host Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on Thursday. On Wednesday, Ancelotti said there was no need for an overreaction with Madrid just one point behind LaLiga leaders Atlético Madrid and alive in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

"I don't follow the wave of criticism, that one day you are the best and the next your are the dumbest," he told reporters. "Fortunately, thanks to my experience, I have balance. I don't think I'm the best but I don't think I'm the dumbest, either."

Manchester City forward Phil Foden conceded his team's defense of the Premier League title is over following their 2-2 draw at Brentford on Tuesday.

Foden, 24, scored twice to give City a commanding lead heading into the final 20 minutes before goals from Yoane Wissa and Christian Nørgaard in the 82nd and 92nd minute, respectively, saw Pep Guardiola's team drop points for the 11th time in 21 games this season.

By comparison, City failed to win 10 times in the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign after which they lifted their fourth straight league title.

"The title? Yeah, yeah, it's done for sure, it's done," Foden responded when asked about his team's standing by Eurosport. "We know. We're not stupid. So we've got to aim for top four, that's the next target now and then obviously Champions League as well. So it's not as if the season has gone.

"We've got to be realistic, haven't we? The performances have not been good enough to get up there. The top four is our aim now and then see where we can be in the other trophies. We can't dwell on it. We've got to try and aim for the top four now and make things right."

The England international added that he was not accustomed to being out of the title race at this stage, having been in contention in all but one of his seasons as a regular first-team player at City.

"I've not been in this situation before where I've lost this many games and been in this situation," he said. "So it's a learning curve, and it's just about how you get back to your best, not just me, but the team as well. And how we come back from this. "I believe, I still believe in the team, you know, I still believe we can do good things.

"It's about getting back on the training pitch and having that belief, to keep going, don't give up. "We've been the best in the last few seasons and when we face an opponent we can just see how much they're up for it. And we have to try and match that, if not better it, and we're coming up a little bit short at the moment."

The draw at the GTech Community Stadium was Foden's 294th game for City, and he said teams have become better at dealing with Guardiola's methods, particularly as injuries in the squad mount.

"I think that's been the challenge this year, how everyone adapts to have our playing style and that's made it really difficult," he said "That's one of the things I've learned. We've not got the biggest squad but we can't really make excuses.

"We've been used to it now playing most competitions every year and we've not struggled in the past. There's always the next game around the corner so you have to pick our heads up and go again. So, it's something to work on. At least the performances are picking up."

City will hope to get back to winning ways against Ipswich Town on Sunday before a huge UEFA Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Pratika Rawal has made one of the strongest starts to an ODI career by any batter, male or female. No woman has scored as many runs in their first six innings as Rawal has - 444 at an average of 74.00 - and only one man, South Africa's Janneman Malan, has done better.

Mandhana, India's stand-in captain in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, was full of praise for Rawal after the match, and noted her versatility as one of her biggest strengths.

"Yeah, really pleased with the way she's batting," Mandhana said of Rawal. "I feel [she] has a really calm head on her shoulders, knows what she's doing, has I think both sort of games, where she can accelerate as well as play the defensive role, which is great as a batter to have.

"To see her rise from the first one-dayer against West Indies [last month] to now is really nice, and good runner between the wickets as well, converts the ones into twos, which always helps in one-day cricket. So really happy for her, and I hope she keeps continuing her form, because it's a big year for us [India are due to host the ODI World Cup in August-September]."

India's batters enjoyed a hugely productive series against Ireland, chasing down 239 in less than 35 overs in the first ODI and posting 370 in the second before Wednesday's record-obliterating events. Mandhana felt that the Rajkot pitch was the kind where batters could play their shots with utmost freedom, and she certainly did on her way to scoring India's fastest-ever ODI century, off 70 balls, and finishing with 135 off 80 balls.

"I would love to carry this wicket [everywhere I go] as a batter for sure, but as a captain I don't know. It's a hard wicket to bowl on. But for me it was very clear than I wanted to go out and try and play shots which are in my arc, because it's not every day that you get the opportunity to do that as an opening batter, because sometimes you have to go out and respect the conditions and play, but [on] wickets like these and the outfield - if it's in your slot, you have to go for it.

"There was no clear plan. I just said, if it's in my arc, I'm going to go for it. Some days it comes off, some days it doesn't. Today I'm happy that it came off."

Having posted a record total, India went on to defend it with aplomb, with spinners Deepti Sharma, Tanuja Kanwar and Minnu Mani sharing six wickets and help bundle Ireland out for 131. The 304-run win was India's biggest in ODIs.

Ireland had batted through their 50 overs in the first two ODIs, but Mandhana felt India's bowlers had been just as good in those two games - it was just that there was a bit more help for the spinners in the third ODI, with the same pitch being used through the series, and that Ireland's batters had tried to play more shots in pursuit of their steep target.

"I think today the wicket also gave a lot of assistance to our spinners, because it was the same wicket which was used in the first two ODIs as well, so there was a little bit of spin on offer," Mandhana said. "I think first two one-dayers, there was not much in it, and also today they came out and were trying to play some shots, and sometimes, when the batters play shots, that's the best time to get opportunity to get them out.

"In the first two one-dayers I thought they were just trying to take a single or double, which again it's a hard wicket to bowl and try and get them out. I wouldn't say that the bowlers did not do [well] in the first or second ODI. I think they bowled brilliantly in the first and second ODI as well, but today there was a little bit more in the wicket for them and, as I said, the batters playing shots helps."

For all the damage the spinners did, it was fast bowlers Titas Sadhu and Sayali Satghare who set the tone, taking two of the first three wickets to begin Ireland's slide.

"Yeah, I think they both bowled really well, got us the first two early wickets, which is always good to get with the new ball, sets the foundations for the spinners to come," Mandhana said. "Saima [Thakor], Sayali, Titas, all three bowled really well throughout the three ODIs, and it's a pretty difficult wicket and outfield to bowl [on], so really happy for them."

Gerald Coetzee, who has returned to action for the Joburg Super Kings after sustaining a groin injury in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka last November is the likeliest replacement. South Africa's white-ball coach Rob Walter, who is also the sole selector of his squads, explained his initial selection was a straight shootout between Nortje and Coetzee, and he opted for Nortje's experience over Coetzee. He also indicated he was confident in Nortje being declared fit. "He's an ultimate professional. He looks after himself, takes care of his conditioning. From my side, I trust him and trust that he'll be ready to go," Walter said on Monday.

Durbar Rajshahi cancelled their training session in Chattogram on Monday after their Bangladeshi players protested for remaining unpaid by the BPL franchise. Several of the players, seeking anonymity, confirmed that they took the stance after Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman shifted the payment date several times.

The players informed the team management of their reluctance to go to training on Monday morning, following which the franchise informed the media that "the team decided to opt for a rest day today". News spread soon afterwards that Rajshahi's local players forced the management into this decision after spending the last two weeks without payment. The overseas players and coaching staff, however, have been paid 25 per cent of their total fees after the team's fourth match of the season, against Fortune Barishal on January 6.

After hearing of the incident on Monday, BCB president Faruque Ahmed spoke to the board directors before holding discussions with Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman, captain Anamul Haque, and several other players. The deadlock, however, remained at the time board director Manjur Alam briefed the media in Chattogram on Monday evening.

"I am speaking on behalf of the BCB president," Manjur said. "The board president called an emergency board meeting on Zoom. I was physically present, the other directors were online. Negotiations are in process. Hopefully we can come to a solution tomorrow. The president spoke directly to the team owners, captain and players. We have a positive vibe from all parties. They will attend practice tomorrow, which is the most positive part of the negotiation."

The BPL governing council have set the payment schedule for the franchises to pay all players 50% of their total fees before the start of the tournament, 25% during the tournament, and the remaining 25% after the tournament.

The BPL governing council had also instructed the teams to give the BCB a bank guarantee of BDT 8 crore (USD 657,000 approx), but the franchises requested that this sum be brought down to BDT 3 crore (USD 246,000 approx). Even then, Fortune Barishal are the only team to have paid the BCB the bank guarantee.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the cheques of some of Rajshahi's local players bounced on January 9. This lead to the players threatening to pull out of their January 10 game against Khulna Tigers. Team owner Shafique Rahman told the players they would be paid on January 14, but that didn't come through either.

The latest breakdown in communication led to the players pulling out of Monday's training session in Chattogram. A number of them have said they will not play Rajshahi's next game, against Sylhet Strikers on January 17, unless all the local players are given 50% of their payments.

ESPNcricinfo has also found out that Rajshahi have been irregular with their daily allowance payments. The players have had to bear their own costs from January 5 to 11, the last time they were contacted by ESPNcricinfo.

Anamul had sounded out the payment problem as early as December 30. In the post-match press conference following Rajshahi's tournament opener against Barishal, Anamul had said the players were yet to be paid their first installment.

"We haven't been paid our wages. None of us have," he said. "The BPL has just started so we don't want to raise a negative image of the tournament. Everyone around the world is keeping an eye on BPL."

The players have been reluctant to speak on record on the payment issue after that, but the mood inside the Rajshahi camp is one of unease.

The city of Cleveland has filed a lawsuit to stop the Browns from leaving their lakefront stadium and building a domed stadium in suburban Brook Park.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, seeks to invoke the "Modell Law" to stop the Browns from moving. The state law says any professional sports owner who uses a tax-supported facility for home games and gets funding from the state or a political subdivision can't leave unless it gets permission to play elsewhere or gives six months' notice.

In October, the Browns announced they informed the city of their intentions to build a $2.4 billion state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park -- which is in the same county but 15 miles south of Cleveland -- when their stadium lease with the city expires at the end of the 2028 NFL season.

Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have been seeking a 50-50 private/public partnership for the construction of the stadium. The Haslams said in a statement that the intended move was the result of trying to "find the optimal long-term solution for our stadium."

The Browns also filed a lawsuit in October seeking clarification on the Modell Law. The state law, which was passed in 1996, was used in 2019 to prevent the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer from leaving for Texas. The team stayed and was bought by the Haslams, who are also part owners of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.

The suit filed by city of Cleveland says that "The Modell Law's requirements are straightforward. It provides that if a team takes taxpayer money and plays in a tax-supported facility, then the owner must either obtain the City's authorization or give the City and others the opportunity to purchase the team before moving the team away from that facility."

In early August, the city of Cleveland offered the Browns a $1.2 billion proposal to renovate the Huntington Bank Field -- the team's current 65,000-seat stadium -- and redevelop its surrounding property that would have included $461 million from the city. The city also offered a 30-year extension of the team's lease.

The Browns have played on the shores of Lake Erie since their inception in 1946. Their new stadium was built in 1999, when they returned as an expansion franchise.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.