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Adou Thiero aims for bigger Lakers role after injury-marred rookie season

Lakers forward Adou Thiero looks to pass around Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lakers forward Adou Thiero looks to pass around Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg during the Lakers' 124-98 preseason loss Tuesday. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

This was never going to be a game for the Lakers to remember. But with nearly half of the roster sidelined because of injuries or resting, Adou Thiero at least tried to inject some life into a sleepy preseason back-to-back.

Thiero’s towering one-handed dunk over two Golden State defenders provided a highlight in the Lakers’ otherwise forgettable 124-98 preseason loss to the Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday. The Lakers leaned on their depth to get through their second short-handed preseason game in as many nights.

Guard Quentin Grimes, the only player starting a second consecutive game for the Lakers, had 12 points and three assists. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili started at center and had 15 points and a trio of three-pointers. Thiero, getting a rare starting moment, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds while Bronny James had four points and five assists in a starting role.

Read more:Luka Doncic scores 21 as Lakers unveil new defense in preseason win over Kings

Star guard Luka Doncic sat out after scoring 21 points in one half Monday against the Sacramento Kings. After setting the tone defensively against the Kings, forwards Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle watched from the sideline Tuesday. The Lakers were also without center Walker Kessler (finger), guards Austin Reaves (ankle) and Collin Sexton (lower body) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma (lower body), who all missed their second consecutive preseason game.

Thiero has been prepared for this type of opportunity. The second-year forward is trying to take advantage of his first true NBA preseason after knee injuries marred his rookie season. He played in his first summer league games, showing incremental progress during games in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Thiero started the summer moving too quickly through games, crashing into the lane and flying recklessly toward the rim. He even missed time from a minor wrist injury suffered during a fall. But as the summer progressed, he settled into the pace of the game. During a Las Vegas Summer League game, Thiero flashed his potential with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks with zero turnovers in 30 minutes.

Read more:Lakers newsletter: Intriguing preseason battles will help shape team

“I feel like that just came with playing more, and just understanding what I was supposed to do, understanding my role,” Thiero said this week of his progress during the summer. “I feel like my role during summer league is very different compared to my role during the season. I was on-ball more. Even creating the offense in summer league. And I didn’t have much experience with that at the time, but as summer league kept going on, I got more comfortable with it and realizing when to speed up and everything.”

Thiero is fighting for minutes in a deep wing group led by Williams and Thybulle. The Lakers have stocked their team with versatile perimeter defenders to help complement their offensive-minded backcourt of Doncic and Reaves. Thiero, whom Reaves described as “a freak-of-nature” athlete, could add a unique quality to the rotation.

“Our ceiling rises if he’s able to [contribute defensively] and be an impactful offensive player with crashing, with cutting, with touching the paint, playing off two feet,” coach JJ Redick said before Monday’s preseason game. “I’ve seen a lot of growth there from him over the last six, seven weeks. That’s exciting.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Blackhawks Hold On And Beat Blues 4-2 In Patrick Kane's Return

On Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks made their highly anticipated return to the United Center for their first home game of the 2026-27 season. That meant that Patrick Kane made his return in a Blackhawks sweater after a handful of seasons away. 

With some of his former mates in the building, specifically Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Hjalmarsson, there was an extra sense of excitement in the crowd. The 0-3-0 start on the road didn't keep anyone from bringing the energy. 

The opponent, the St. Louis Blues, entered Chicago with a 1-1-0 record to start the season, and they had the plan of matching the intensity that the Blackhawks were naturally going to bring. 

Before the games began, player intros were a bit more special than in other years. Patrick Kane was given a warm welcome with an intro video, special effects on the ice, and a standing ovation from the crowd that was blistering. 

After the game started, for a while, it was more of the same for the Blackhawks. There were problems connecting on passes in all three zones, sloppy play defensively, and no finish to their game offensively. 

Eventually, the Blues took the lead with a goal scored by Mason McTavish. This came at 15:38 in the first period, and the Blues held that lead through the first intermission. 

Early in the second, the Blues scored again, but the goal was waved off for offside. That seemed to give the Blackhawks some juice. From there, they started to play their game. At 5:40 of the middle frame, Sam Rinzel scored by cleaning up Frank Nazar's rebound garbage. 

Exactly two minutes of game clock later, at 7:40, Anton Frondell scored his first goal of the season. This goal was Frondell taking advantage of a brilliant play by Artyom Levshunov, who split the defense and made a brilliant pass. 

The 2-1 lead held for Chicago through the second intermission. Holding onto leads that they built for themselves in the third period was a major issue in 2025-26, and this was their chance to put a stop to that early in the year. 

The Blackhawks, who held the Blues off the board for the first 18 minutes of the final frame, had to face a penalty kill late. With 2:23 left, Roman Kantserov took a tripping penalty. The Blackhawks had to make a final push to kill the penalty if they wanted to win in regulation. 

With the net empty, Cole Smith scored his first goal with the Blackhawks to make it 3-1. That felt like a secured victory for Chicago, but the Blues kept their goaltender out of the net and got it back to make it 3-2. 

Instead of letting the lead slip away, however, Frank Nazar added another empty-net goal, and the Blackhawks secured a 4-2 victory on Patrick Kane night. 

Now, the Blackhawks have a win to build on. From the time they scored their first goal of the game, they played much better than they had in the first three games. They overcame the tough start to the game and found a way. The Hawks would like to clean up that goal that was scored by St. Louis with under a minute left, but it was a work in progress that they can build on. 

Injury Update

Teuvo Teravainen left the game and did not return. Jeff Blashill confirmed after the game that he will not travel for thier next game. Beyond that, it is unknown at this time. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will hit the road again for one. It's back east they go as they will face the New York Islanders on Thursday night. 

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Jake Cronenworth hits solo HR to put Padres ahead of Brewers in NLDS Game 3

SAN DIEGO – Jake Cronenworth hit a solo home run to put the Padres back on top with a 3-2 lead in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on Tuesday, Oct. 6. 

Cronenworth sent the ball 368 feet to right field during the bottom of the fifth inning.

The run cuts into the momentum the Milwaukee Brewers started building in the top of the inning.  

Milwaukee had just evened the score with a run scored in the top of the fifth inning, but the Padres managed to prevent the game from getting out of hand as the Brewers were in position add more runs with the bases loaded.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jake Cronenworth hits solo HR to put Padres ahead of Brewers in NLDS Game 3

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Cubs BCB After Dark: Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramírez?

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Pedro Ramirez #75 of the Chicago Cubs bats in the National League Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. We leave the light on for a reason. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The last time we met, I asked you about whether you’d give outfielder Ian Happ a qualifying offer. The vote was very close, reflecting the divided opinion of Happ that seems to be a fixture of Cubs fandom these days. In any case, 51 percent of you said no, you wouldn’t give Happ a qualifying offer and 49 percent of you said you would. So yeah, really close.

On Tuesdays, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I did want to take a moment to remember Eva Marie Saint, who passed away today at the age of 102. Saint won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for On the Waterfront, which was her on-screen debut. Of course, she also co-starred with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, which won our Hitchcock tournament a few years ago. But she was more than just her two most famous films and she had a long career that continued into her nineties.

So rest in peace, Eva, and thank you for all your performances that made so many people happy.

Tonight we have one of those NPR Tiny Desk concerts featuring Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The two are joined by Pablo Menares on bass and Kush Abadey on drums. This is from just last week as part of Latin Music Month.

Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.

The Cubs have a very good infield of Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch. They also have two solid reserve infielders in Pedro Ramírez and Matt Shaw, both of whom would start for many other teams. Shaw, of course, started for the Cubs in 2025.

Six good infielders is nice to have, but it’s a bit of a luxury. While Matt Shaw played more outfield than infield in 2026 and the Cubs have experimented with Ramírez in the outfield, both Shaw and Ramírez’s best positions are second and third base. And while both of them have the potential to be pretty good hitters for a second or third baseman, they aren’t projected to have the kind of power that contending teams want out of their corner outfielders.

This is just a roundabout way of saying that Shaw and Ramírez might be more valuable to another team than they are to the Cubs. And in that case, it might be a good idea to see if a team would be willing to send the Cubs a pitcher or an outfielder for one or both of them.

The other point is that Shaw and Ramírez are pretty similar players and it’s not always great to have two similar players on the roster. Sure, it’s nice to have a backup if one or the other gets hurt, like Shaw did for a chunk of this year, but if they’re both healthy, they’ll be fighting each other for playing time. (Not literally. No punches will be thrown.) Both Shaw and Ramírez had a similar OBP last year (.327 to .321) and a similar slugging percentage. (.410 to .402). We can argue about which one is the better fielder. Ramírez had much better defensive metrics last year, but Shaw was also forced to play a majority of his games out of position as a corner outfielder. Shaw was much better defensively in 2025 as an everyday third baseman.

Ramírez is also two years younger than Shaw and has one more year of control. That might mean Ramírez would bring back more in trade, despite the two being so similar in many other ways.

So which one of these two players would you try to trade this winter? Shaw or Ramírez? Or would you trade neither? Both?

Obviously there’s an answer of “Whichever one brings back the most.” I’m going to ask you to take into consideration which one you think will bring back more in trade. So if you are willing to deal the one you think is better for a better return, vote for that player. I’m not going to tell you which one that is. Like I said, I think the two are pretty similar except that Ramírez is younger.

So what would you do with Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramírez?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottled. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

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Ryan O'Reilly Hits Major Milestone Against Hometown Maple Leafs

Although Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is one that the Nashville Predators will likely want to forget as soon as possible, one player will certainly remember it. Ryan O'Reilly recorded his 900th career point in the second period when he assisted on Steven Stamkos's second goal of the evening. 

O'Reilly, a player often known for his two-way style of play, may not be known as a prolific scorer. With that being said, he has played 1,236 career games in the NHL and during that time he's recorded an impressive 900 points (328 goals and 572 assists).

Currently in his fourth season in Nashville, O'Reilly registered 198 of his points in Predators Gold. He scored the most points as a member of the St. Louis Blues, picking up 269 across five seasons. He also had stints with the Colorado Avalanche (the team that drafted him back in 2009), the Buffalo Sabres, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

O'Reilly's future in Nashville is currently up in the air, as he's in the final year of his current contract and at 35 years of age, he's running out of time to win a second Stanley Cup.

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Owen Power lifts Sabres past Wild 3-2 in overtime after 2-goal comeback

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Owen Power scored 4:22 into overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund tied the game by scoring six minutes apart in the third period. Colten Ellis stopped 18 shots, including three in overtime, and Buffalo (2-1) won its second straight game when trailing entering the third.

The Sabres overcame a 3-2 deficit in a 4-3 home-opening win over Chicago on Saturday night.

Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov scored 1:45 apart to stake Minnesota to a 2-0 lead with 4:22 left in the second period. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 shots, including his glove save of Thompson’s shot from the slot with 3:28 left in regulation.

Power’s goal came after Thompson shot wide on a drive to the net. Jiri Kulich, who scored the decisive goal against Chicago, collected the puck and fed Power, who snapped in the puck inside the left post.

Minnesota blew an opportunity to open a season 3-0 for the first time since 2021-22 and sixth time in franchise history.

Thompson’s goal was also his 400th career point with Buffalo. He became one of nine Sabres and the first since Thomas Vanek to reach the 400-point plateau in 491 or fewer games.

Ellis, Buffalo’s third-string goalie, made his season debut, with co-starter Alex Lyon still recovering from a shoulder injury.

RED WINGS 5, SENATORS 3

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored in his first game since asking for a trade, helping Detroit to a win over Ottawa.

Larkin was initially booed by the home crowd when he touched the puck on his first shift. The boos turned to cheers when he scored in the 13th minute, giving Detroit a lead it never relinquished.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Justin Faulk and Viktor Arvidsson added goals for Detroit. John Gibson made 22 saves.

Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and William Eklund scored for the Senators, who had won their first two games. Samuel Ersson had 31 saves.

DeBrincat opened his scoring in the first with a wrist shot 3:16 into the period, assisted by Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur. He added a power-play empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining in the third. DeBrincat also had an assist.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public. He was stripped of the captaincy, reported to training camp despite being injured, missed the start of the season because of injury and received a frosty reaction from home fans during introductions prior to their first game last week.

MAMMOTH 5, DEVILS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and Utah relied on its proficient power play to beat New Jersey.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller’s goal in the first period and Schmaltz’s go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-4 in the franchise’s previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey’s Jake Allen made 26 saves.

MAPLE LEAFS 5, PREDATORS 4, OT

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews scored with 14 seconds left in overtime and had three assists in regulation and Toronto erased a three-goal deficit in a win over Nashville.

William Nylander, No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna — with his first as a professional — John Tavares and Jack Roslovic had the other goals for Toronto, which got 21 saves from Anthony Stolarz.

McKenna also picked up an assist on Tavares’ goal for his first NHL point. Nylander chipped in two assists and Roslovic added one.

Steven Stamkos scored twice for Nashville to move into 17th place on the NHL’s career goals list, while Nils Hoglander also scored twice. Filip Forsberg had two assists and Juuse Saros made 33 stops.

Stamkos opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first period on a power play. Nashville doubled its lead at 9:08 when Hoglander collected a rebound off the end boards and slotted it home before making it 3-0 at 3:03 of the second on another tap-in.

Tavares got Toronto going off the rush at 4:56 of the middle period and Nylander connected on a man advantage at 6:58 to make it 3-2. Stamkos scored his second to restore a two-goal lead at 13:30, but McKenna scored his first NHL goal 61 seconds later.

Roslovic tied things at 8:54 of the third.

Stamkos broke a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla on the league’s career scoring list with his first-period goal — the 626th of his career — before adding another in the second. Dave Andreychuk is 16th in NHL history with 640 career goals.

RANGERS 5, ISLANDERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafrenière recorded a hat trick, with two goals into an empty net, and had an assist as the New York Rangers extended their winning streak to four by defeating the crosstown rival Islanders.

The Rangers are unbeaten since getting shut out in their opener a week ago at Boston. They’re 3-0 at home, a year since losing their first seven games at Madison Square Garden last season.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, and Mika Zibanejad finished with three assists. Igor Shesterkin made 17 saves for the victory but had his point streak from an assist Sunday and his goalie goal Thursday end at two.

The Rangers didn’t get a shot until 6:40 in, but Bjorkstrand scored on it for his first goal with his new team. He and Lafrenière took advantage of the Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov showing some rust in his first game in 676 days.

Varlamov was playing in the NHL for the first time since Nov. 29, 2024, completing his comeback from undergoing double partial knee replacement surgeries. He allowed three goals on 22 shots.

Captain Bo Horvat and young forward Calum Ritchie scored for the Islanders, while reigning rookie-of-the-year defenseman Matthew Schaefer hit the post twice among his 12 shot attempts.

HURRICANES 6, CANADIENS 4

MONTREAL (AP) — Taylor Hall scored twice as Carolina beat Montreal in its home opener.

Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assists, while Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski had a goal and an assist each.

Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal and Brandon Bussi stopped 16 shots in the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final.

Zachary Bolduc scored twice, Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for Montreal. Alexandre Texier and Chris Krieder had two assists apiece, while Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

The Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre for their first regular-season home game since falling to the Hurricanes in the third round. Carolina eliminated Montreal in five games before going on to win the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The teams combined for five goals in the opening 13 minutes. Hall opened the scoring 2:25 into the first period, deflecting Jackson Blake’s shot after Slafkovsky turned the puck over in front of his own net.

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William Contreras' home run gets Brewers back into NLDS Game 3 vs. Padres

SAN DIEGO —  Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras cut into the San Diego Padres' lead Tuesday with a solo home run during the fourth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS.

Contreras slowly trotted around the bases, even stopping briefly to celebrate, before crossing home plate at Petco Park.

The home run served as a quick response to the Padres, who scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning.

The Padres led the game 2-1 as action headed to the bottom of the fourth.

It was the second home run of the series for Contreras, who hit a go-ahead solo home run to center field in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie in Game 1 on Oct. 3.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Contreras' home run gets Brewers back into NLDS Game 3 vs. Padres

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Why the Dodgers can win without Ohtani and why it should scare the Braves

Shohei Ohtani has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the National Division Series.

And they are now one win away from the NL Championship Series anyway.

That’s what all the money really buys.

On Tuesday night, it bought the insurance of having Enrique Hernandez.

Dave Roberts dropped Ohtani to fifth in the lineup Tuesday night, the first time he’d hit there this postseason. Ohtani struck out with two runners on in the first inning. The Dodgers still won 3-1 and now lead the National League Division Series 2-1.

Hernandez won it.

He’s making just $4.5 million on a one-year deal. He played 41 games in the regular season after elbow surgery and a torn oblique. He was only in the lineup Tuesday night because Roberts benched a slumping Tommy Edman. In the fourth inning, he hit a Chris Sale changeup for a two-run homer, the 17th postseason home run of his career. Freddie Freeman added a solo shot two batters later.

Every contender pays for stars. The Dodgers pay for the guy who wins the game when the star is slumping.

Their 2026 payroll is projected at $322.4 million. Add a projected $163.7 million luxury tax bill and they're spending close to $500 million all in this season, more than any team in baseball. Last year, they spent a record $515 million and won a second straight World Series.

The Atlanta Braves aren't exactly cheap with a payroll is $252.1 million, among the highest in the game. Atlanta, however, lost four starters in spring training and they’ve been trying to patch the holes ever since. The Braves opened their wild-card clincher and Game 2 of this series with Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old left-hander with barely 70 career innings coming into October. Rowdy Tellez, Tuesday's pinch-hitter, signed on the last day of spring training and spent most of the season in Triple-A.

That $70 million gap in salary alone, before the Dodgers' tax bill, shows up in the details that a team needs in October.

Tuesday night Max Muncy, Edman and 21-year-old Josue De Paula all started on the bench. Roberts called that "ultimate flexibility." For plenty of teams, it would be a lineup.

The Braves lost four starters in spring training. They opened their wild-card clincher and Game 2 of this series with Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old left-hander with barely 70 career innings coming into October. Rowdy Tellez, Tuesday's pinch-hitter, signed on the last day of spring training and spent most of the season in Triple-A.

And Wednesday, Roberts plans to move Ohtani back toward the top of the lineup against Tyler Mahle. Last October, he hit eight postseason homers. The Dodgers are now 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Dave Roberts doesn’t have to worry about the drought.

“It’s good to know that we can still win games without him doing a whole bunch,” Roberts said.

For the Dodgers, that’s the peace of mind that $322.4 million buys them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why the Dodgers can win without Ohtani and why it should scare the Braves

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Devils' rally falls short in 5-3 loss to Mammoth

Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and the Utah Mammoth relied on their proficient power play to beat the New Jersey Devils, 5-3, on Tuesday night.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2-for-4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller’s goal in the first period and Schmaltz’s go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey, and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-for-4 in the franchise’s previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey’s Jake Allen made 26 saves.

Sergachev reached 300 assists with his second of the game, on Weegar’s goal early in the second period. The 28-year-old Russian defenseman reached the milestone in his 634th NHL game.

He also assisted on Schmaltz’s goal for his seventh career four-assist game and fourth in his last 32 contests.

Schmaltz had two assists, the second on Trocheck’s goal that made it 5-3 with 3:08 remaining.

New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left with an injury early in the third period.

Up next

Mammoth: At Boston on Thursday.

Devils: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

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Penguins Notebook: Bryan Rust Nears His Return To The Lineup

The Pittsburgh Penguins held a practice inside the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Tuesday after suffering their first loss of the season to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. 

The Penguins didn't play well in that game, but they quickly got back on the ice and put it behind them. All expected players were on the ice, and Bryan Rust joined them, getting closer to returning.

Rust has been week-to-week with an injury that he suffered in the Penguins' final pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres. He's been skating with the team in morning skates, but fully participated in Tuesday's practice. 

He skated on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen, while also participated in special teams drills. 

Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed after practice that they still need to have some conversations before Rust can make his season debut. 

"Still need to have some conversations, but it was good to have him out there," Muse said.

Here were the forward lines and defensive pairs: 

Forwards

Lapierre-Crosby-Rakell

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Koivunen-Kindel-Rust

Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson

Defensive pairs

Carlile-Karlsson

Girard-Korczak

van Riemsdyk-Letang

The defensive pairings remain unchanged, but Muse is already trying new combinations, including Hendrix Lapierre on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. 

Lapierre will face his former team, the Washington Capitals, on Wednesday and is excited for the challenge. He also can't wait to face Alex Ovechkin after the latter announced on Monday that this will be his final NHL season.

"Like the rest of the team, it's going to be pretty special," Lapierre said after practice. "I played with him for a couple of years, and it was a pleasure; it was an honor. Really, truly had a great time there and playing with them, and he's a great leader. Again, it's gonna be a little weird tomorrow, but I'm super excited. He's had a heck of a career, as you guys know, and to be able to play against him in his final year is gonna be special, so it should be a really good game."

Wednesday will be the first of four matchups between the Penguins and Capitals this year. The Penguins are 2-1-0 through three games, while the Capitals are 1-1-0 through two games. 

Puck drop for Wednesday's game will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!  

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Mets' Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Nolan McLean named to MLB Pipeline's 2026 All-Rookie Teams

A trio of Mets rookies was honored on Tuesday night after being named to MLB Pipeline's 2026 All-Rookie Teams.

Right fielder Carson Benge took home First-Team honors while center fielder A.J. Ewing and starting pitcher Nolan McLean were picked for Second-Team after all three had great rookie seasons in New York.

Benge, who had a slash line of .282/.346/.430 (.776 OPS) with a 20/20 season to go along with 22 doubles, finished with a 4.3 WAR in 156 games -- the third-highest among rookie position players. 

The 23-year-old is also one of the top contenders for the National League Rookie of the Year award with two of his competitors, Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Sal Stewart and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, also making First-Team.

After getting promoted to the big leagues in May, Ewing hit the ground running and made an immediate impact with the Mets. He struggled in the middle of the season, but the 21-year-old ended the season on a high note and led the club with 25 steals, a new franchise record for a rookie. 

Ewing's biggest contributions of the season possibly came in the outfield, where he manned center field masterfully while occasionally getting reps at the corners as well. He finished with a 3.1 WAR in 120 games.

McLean rounds out the group after a sensational first full campaign in the big leagues. The right-hander burst onto the scene in 2025 when he made eight starts down the stretch of the season during a pennant race and went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA.

Despite New York struggling as much as it did this season, McLean was one of the most consistent players on the team. He made all 31 of his starts and had a 3.16 ERA across a career-high 179.2 innings while striking out 194 batters. He's joined by Milwaukee Brewers starter Logan Henderson on the Second-Team.

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Dylan Larkin Scores, Named 1st Star In Season Debut During 5-3 Red Wings Win

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Former Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin made sure his season debut was a memorable one.

Despite being booed repeatedly when he first hit the ice and touched the puck during his opening shift, Larkin quickly turned many of those boos into cheers. He scored in the first period and added an assist in the Red Wings' 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena.

Larkin, who missed all of Training Camp and the preseason, along with the first two games of the regular season, was named the game's first star.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings were playing without forwards J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper, and Mason Appleton, along with unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson; William Wallinder made his NHL debut on the blue line and skated in 9:07 of ice time. 

The Senators struck first as Tim Stutzle beat John Gibson with a quick shot at the 2:44 mark of the first period, only to have Alex DeBrincat respond 32 seconds later with his first goal of the season.

Just after their power-play expired, the Red Wings took their first lead of the season thanks to Larkin, who buried a centering feed from Viktor Arvidsson at 13:14. 

Just 2:01 into the second period, Arvidsson scored his second goal in as many games, burying a rebound of Larkin's chance past Senators goalie Samuel Ersson.

Justin Faulk then added a highlight-reel tally minutes later, weaving his way through multiple Ottawa players and beating Ersson up high while falling to the ice. 

Not long afterward, Ottawa began making a game of it thanks to a power-play tally from Drake Batherson, which would eventually be followed by a goal from William Eklund midway through the third period. 

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However, despite pulling Ersson, the Senators weren't able to come up with the equalizer. DeBrincat added his second of the game into the empty net with 50 seconds left in regulation, sealing Detroit's win. 

Gibson finished the contest with 21 saves for Detroit, while Ersson made 31 saves. 

There were multiple fights that broke out at the end of the second period, as DeBrincat squared off with Shane Pinto, Ben Chiarot against Ridley Greig, and Emmitt Finnie against Jordan Spence.

Ironically, despite his fight, Finnie wasn't penalized, meaning that it won't go into the books as his first official bout in the NHL. 

The Red Wings are back in action on Friday against the visiting Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena. 

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Phillies spurned again by Alex Cora, as manager says he's taking 2027 off

The Philadelphia Phillies have been spurned again by Alex Cora.

Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, spoke with Cora about becoming their manager in 2027, but Cora informed Dombrowski he’s taking the season off, according to a high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge of their talks told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Phillies still have not decided who will manage their team.

Cora, who won a World Series with the Red Sox with Dombrowski in 2018, was offered the Phillies’ job in April before firing Rob Thomson, and he declined it, saying he wanted to spend the rest of the summer with his family.

More: Phillies need hard reset with Mattingly paying the price

Now, after being pursued again, he declined, with Cora still owed about $7.25 million from the Red Sox in 2027 as the third and final year of his three-year, $21.75 million contract.

Cora did not immediately respond to a text message from USA TODAY Sports.

Don Mattingly, who took over the Phillies as their interim manager and led them to a wild-card berth, still is under contract in 2027 but as a bench coach.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phillies spurned again by Alex Cora, as manager says he's taking 2027 off

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Taylor Hall scores 2 as Hurricanes beat Canadiens 6-4 in Montreal's home opener

MONTREAL (AP) — Taylor Hall scored twice as the Carolina Hurricanes beat Montreal 6-4 in the Canadiens' home opener on Tuesday night.

Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assists, while Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski had a goal and an assist each.

Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal and Brandon Bussi stopped 16 shots in the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final.

Zachary Bolduc scored twice, Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for Montreal. Alexandre Texier and Chris Krieder had two assists apiece, while Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

The Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre for their first regular-season home game since falling to the Hurricanes in the third round. Carolina eliminated Montreal in five games before going on to win the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The teams combined for five goals in the opening 13 minutes. Hall opened the scoring 2:25 into the first period, deflecting Jackson Blake’s shot after Slafkovsky turned the puck over in front of his own net.

Bolduc evened the score at 3:23, corralling a rebound and shoveling a backhand into the top corner. Suzuki put Montreal in front 64 seconds later with a snap shot over Bussi’s left shoulder, but Robinson tied it at 9:22 when Jalen Chatfield’s point shot deflected off him and past Dobes.

Bolduc gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead at 12:54, scoring his second of the night on the power play.

The lead held until Aho, also with the man advantage, slid a shot through Dobes’ pads 3:56 into the second. Jankowski capitalized on Noah Dobson’s giveaway to give Carolina the lead at 13:24, then Hall made it 5-3 at 12:21 in the third.

Slafkovsky jumped on a rebound to pull one back with 3:04 remaining before Svechnikov’s empty-netter.

Ivan Demidov missed the game after the Canadiens announced he would be sidelined two to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Up next

Hurricanes: Host Vancouver on Thursday.

Canadiens: Host Nashville on Thursday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Alexis Lafreniere's hat trick lifts Rangers to 5-2 win over Islanders

The Rangers emerged victorious in the 2026-27 NHL season's first Battle of New York, beating division rival Islanders, 5-2, behind a hat trick from Alexis Lafreniere and a two-goal outing from right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand. The win marked their fourth straight.

Here are some takeaways...

 — The Rangers didn't land a single shot on goal until almost seven minutes into the game, but when they finally did, they made it count. After chasing the puck-wielding sophomore Islanders defender Matthew Schafer into the boards,Lafrenierelost his balance, but not before managing to slide the puck backward as Bjorkstrand calmlyskated into the right dot. Bjorkstrand reacted instantly, scooping up the pass and rifling a shot above Isles goalie Semoyn Varlamov's left shoulder, giving the home team the early lead with his first goal as a Ranger.

— The first period wound down without another score, marking the fifth straight game in which the Rangers have not allowed a first-period goal, but it was far from quiet. The rivals combined for five penalties across the latter 13 minutes of the frame, including matching penalties for fighting drawn by Rangers captain J.T. Miller and Islander Brayden Schenn. In the final two minutes of the game, Islander Simon Holstrom was helped off the ice after taking a puck to the face on a shot from Sean Durzi.

— The Rangers got off to a much faster start in the second, doubling their lead just 25 seconds into the middle period as Lafreniere sent the puck bardown, but the Islanders retaliated soon after, evening the score with two quick tallies of their own. 

The Islanders first found the back of the net on their fourth power play of the evening. Captain Bo Horvat caught a cross-ice pass sent by Matias Maccelli through traffic and smoothly shoved it in top shelf. Two minutes later, Schenn sent a pass through traffic to the slot, where 21-year-old Calum Ritchier waited unprotected. Ritchie dragged the puck toward the net, drew Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin out of the net, then slid the puck behind a sprawling Shesterkin's skate to bring the Islanders up to speed.

— The Blueshirts ended the period with a one-goal edge thanks, once again, to Bjorkstrand, who received a cross-ice pass from Gabe Perreault in the waning seconds of a power play and walked it two strides toward the net before letting loose for his second of the night. The outing marks Bjorkstrand's 22nd-career multi-goal game. 

— Lafreniere scored the game's only third-period goals, finding the empty net twice in the final two minutes of the contest for his third career hat trick.

— Just three days after making his AHL debut, twenty-year-old center Cole Beaudoin skated in his first NHL contest Tuesday night after the Rangers placed Joseph Veleno, who sustained a lower-body injury in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth, on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon. Beaudoin finished the game without a point but with a plus-1 rating, one block, and three hits. He won an even 50 percent of his faceoffs, tied for third-best on the team with Noah Laba.

The Rangers acquired Beaudoin, along with 27-year-old bluelinerDurziand a 2027 third-round draft pick, in the trade that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth. He began the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' AHL affiliate, and quickly found his stride. Across his two games in Hartford, Beaudoin contributed to more than half of the Wolf Pack's eight goals so far this season, recording a team-leading five points (1 goal, four assists) and propelling them to the top of the Atlantic Division (though they're knotted with the Springfield Thunderbirds, who are also 2-0).

— Making his first NHL appearance in 676 days, Varlamovmade 19 stops on 22 shots in the loss. 

The 38-year-old missed most of the 2024-25 campaign and all of last year due to two partial knee replacements in November 2024 and 22 months of extensive rehab. Heading into the matchup, Varlamov was 5-1-0 with the Islanders at MSG, posting a .950 save percentage, a 1.55 goals-against average, and four shutouts. He's now 10-4-1 in the arena across his 18 years as an NHL goalie.

— Shesterkin finished the game with an .895 save percentage.

—The rivals next go head-to-head Dec. 20, this time in Isles territory at UBS Arena.

Highlights

What's next

The Rangers get two days off before facing the Washington Capitals on the road Friday at 7 p.m. The Islanders are set to host the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday at 7:30.