Alexander Zverev’s troubled start as world No 1 sums up dismal year for men’s tennis | Tumaini Carayol

Winning his first two grand slams and leading the rankings should be cause for celebration, but the German benefited from a vacuum at the top

Alexander Zverev had plenty of thoughts in the miserable aftermath of his loss at the Paris Masters last week, a 7-6 (5), 6-2 second-round defeat by Lorenzo Musetti marking him as the first ATP No 1 to lose his first match as the top-ranked player in straight sets.

Rather than feeling any pressure surrounding his new status in the buildup to the final Masters 1000 tournament of the year, Zverev had simply been annoyed. “Achieving the world No 1 status is something every player dreams of, but I feel like I’m the only world No 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it’s OK for me to be world No 1. Which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today.”

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It's Panic Time for the Kings

LOS ANGELES — The Kings came out ice-cold and lost to the Flames, 3-2. Los Angeles has lost four straight games and are tied for the second-worst record in the NHL.

Nearly a quarter into the NHL season and the Kings have found themselves near the bottom of the standings. This loss to Calgary only added more concern to the troubles that Los Angeles is facing.

A sluggish first forty minutes were evident tonight, as Los Angeles trailed 1-0 after two periods. The Kings were in a deficit before the third period in every single loss during this four-game skid.

“The playing from behind is not where we want to be, you want to get the first one, you want to build on it from there, and we're not getting that done, Coach Laviolette said. “We found ourselves behind, you know, most of this home stand and then were chasing the game, trying to push from there.”

In those four losses, the Kings have been outscored 10-4 in the first two periods. The Kings, averaging one goal through the first forty minutes, did not keep pace with their opponents.

Falling behind in every game has come from the lack of offense for the Kings. Los Angeles has not scored more than two goals in any of the games through these four losses.

Lack of inside shots has been a major factor as to why the Kings have not been able to score. When Los Angeles is taking shots mostly from the perimeter, it’s easier for the opposing goaltenders to stop.

Hence, every goaltender has recorded higher than a .920 save percentage against the Kings through these four games. Goaltenders have less to worry about since the Kings aren’t taking shots in front of the net.

“We’ve had looks, we got to capitalize and next thing you know, five minutes later, then five minutes later, we keep saying it's coming, be positive, and it hadn’t really came, said Brandt Clarke. “It's not from a lack of effort, it's not from a lack of positivity, it's not from a lack of wanting each other to succeed, its just not going in the net and its unfortunate”.

Offensive struggles have been the main culprit for the four consecutive losses, but that has to change. The offense must find its rhythm during this five-game road trip to turn this season around.

“I think it's a great group of guys, we're all super close as well, but just being able to get on the road, kind of get a little closer, be with each other a lot more. You know, translate that over to the ice,” said Quinton Byfield. “I think the road trip is good and much needed right now, and we got to get back on track.”

The last road trip for the Kings was semi-successful. Los Angeles recorded six points during a five-game stand in October. However, the Kings will need to be even better on this road trip if they want to make up ground.

Very little room for error is left for the Kings, and they must string together some goals on this road trip. If the Kings continue their losing ways, then the playoffs will start to look unlikely for this team.

The panic button has been hit after this loss to the Flames. The question is if the Kings can respond on the road now.

Player Grades: Cavs vs Mavericks – Tyrese Proctor goes off

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 14: Tyrese Proctor #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on November 14, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Dallas Mavericks behind an awesome game from their young guards.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Tyrese Proctor

24 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists

Proctor is in full swing of a sophomore breakout right now. He’s put together a strong week of games, culminating in this prime opportunity to prove that he can scale his usage up into a larger role.

He impacted every facet of the game, lifting Cleveland’s offense with his shot creation and providing support on defense at the point of attack.

The Cavs have found something here. Proctor’s development isn’t something they can overlook.

Grade: A+++

Grades

Meleek Thomas

20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Thomas has been the winner of the young Cavs’ season. He’s stood out in almost every game he’s appeared in, and he did not disappoint tonight in his largest role to date. His shot-making, which includes an unstoppable-looking floater, was on full display as he helped energize the Cavs to a big win.

Grade: A-

Mario Hezonja

22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Hezonja hasn’t been able to earn many minutes in previous games but was given the green light tonight out of necessity. I’d say he made the most of that opportunity, complementing every lineup he was in and providing a sense of stability. He can still be a bit dicey when defending off-ball actions, but Hezonja would be getting more minutes if it were up to me.

Mario shot 9-of-12 from the floor and hit all of the key momentum shots for Cleveland.

Grade: A+

Jaylon Tyson

18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Tyson was given all the room he needed to get comfortable tonight. He didn’t have to worry about filling a role as he normally would. Instead, being granted the freedom to create for himself and serve as a dynamic offensive threat. That helped him turn in his best offensive game of the season.

Grade: A-

Thomas Bryant

19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists

Bryant, a veteran leader on this team, suited up in the starting lineup despite playing 16 minutes the night before in Miami. There was no rest for TB as he worked harder than anyone else on the court to make sure this team had a big man anchoring the paint on both ends of the floor.

Well done, Bryant.

Grade: A

Norchad Omier

13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists

Omier was the definition of heart and hustle tonight as he used his bulky frame to bang in the paint and grab rebounds. I don’t know what the ceiling is for a player like Omier, but he’s certainly helpful in setting a tone on a night like tonight.

Grade: A-

Craig Porter Jr.

9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers

Porter threw some highly questionable passes in this game and turned it over more than you’d like. Other than that, he had some impressive finishes around the rim and was mostly a positive.

Grade: B

Riley Minix

2 points (1-6 shooting)

Minix is back to not fitting in with this Cavs team. He simply hasn’t been able to shoot the ball efficiently, and he’s not a good enough defender to make up for it.

Grade: D

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-2 Loss to the Islanders

Drew Helleson from practice (11-11-26)

For the penultimate game of their four-game homestand, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the New York Islanders on Saturday night at Honda Center. 

This game was the first leg of a weekend back-to-back, and the Ducks will host the Calgary Flames on Sunday. They are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, which snapped their five-game winning streak. 

Game #20: Ducks vs. Islanders Gameday Preview (11/14/26)

Troy Terry, Returning from Hip Surgery, 'Likely' to make Season Debut Wednesday

This game was the finale of the Islanders’ California road trip, and they halted a four-game winless streak on Thursday by defeating the Los Angeles Kings 5-2. 

Anaheim saw the return of Troy Terry to their lineup on Wednesday vs. Nashville. After some lineup adjustments, he found himself on the top line with Leo Carlsson and Judd Caulfield. Tyson Hinds found his way back into the lineup on a pair with Tristan Luneau. 

Every forward line and d-pair was altered with the exception of the top d-pair and the second forward line. Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:

Caulfield-Carlsson-Terry

Gauthier-Granlund-Sennecke

Malott-Washe-Killorn

Nesterenko-McQueen-Colangelo

LaCombe-Helleson

Mintyukov-Warren

Hinds-Luneau

Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks in this game for just the second time in their last seven games and stopped just 19 of 25 shots. He was opposed by Semyon Varlamov, who saved 26 of 28.

 “Defensively, that’s going to be a work in progress,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “It’s part of the game. We got to make plays, better plays, in front of the net. We got to make sure our readings of situations off the rush, where we make mistakes in coverage, that can’t happen. That’s on me.”

Game Notes

This was the second time in two games that the Ducks ran up against a defensively well-coached team who eliminated their primary means of chance generation and capitalized on substantial mistakes on the defensive side of the puck. The Islanders further built on what the Preds accomplished and eliminated opportunities before they materialized. 

Lukas Dostal: Dostal has had a difficult season thus far, and this game was no different. He can, has been, and needs to be better than he was. However, even with an excellent performance from him, they would still have lost this game decisively. 

Dostal made a handful of difficult saves, notably a low slot shot on a 2v1 against Matthew Barzal and a few screened point shots where he didn’t allow dangerous rebounds. Four of the goals he allowed were ones he had little to no chance of saving: two cross-ice 2v1s, a point shot that tipped off of two consecutive Ducks defensive sticks, and one where he was entangled with a sliding Leo Carlsson. 

The two Dostal stood greater chances of saving were a one-timer from the slot off the stick of Bo Horvat in the bumper on a power play and a broken rush that found its way to Simon Holmstrom’s stick in the mid-slot with ample time and space. An above-average NHL goaltender likely stops one of those, and an elite goaltender might stop both.

Exits/Entries: The Islanders controlled the bluelines, and thus, controlled the hockey game. The majority of the Ducks’ 5v5 offense is generated off the rush, and New York elected for a relatively passive offensive zone forecheck, focusing more on eliminating outlets across the Ducks’ blueline and sealing their own. An adjustment from the Ducks skaters and coaching staff to either prioritize outs by means of high flips, dump-ins to establish a forecheck, and/or more efficient off-puck movement to create new lanes was needed to thwart the Islanders’ defensive structure. 

Rush Defense: Decision-making, whether with possession or not, in the neutral zone or above the tops of the offensive circles, continues to lead to odd-man opportunities against Anaheim. Beckett Sennecke was guilty of shoddy high F3 work on the Isles’ fifth goal.

Backchecking and sorting communication on the weak side or trailing the play exposed the Ducks as well. Roger McQueen and/or Nikita Nesterenko were guilty of it on the Isles’ third goal, and Jackson LaCombe and Drew Helleson pursued the same attacker on the sixth. 

The “Big Three”: As mentioned, New York eliminated the Ducks’ “Plan A” for offensive generation: the rush. Neither Sennecke, Carlsson, nor Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim’s most talented and relied upon offensive drivers) were able to build speed through the middle third of the ice with possession or dish cleanly to a teammate filling a lane with speed. Each responded differently but were equally unsuccessful. 

Sennecke attempted to individually create chances. That strategy had been successful to an extent in the past, as even many of the creative plays he attempts end up in dangerous chances by default. In this game, however, he lost several pucks high in the offensive zone, and he couldn’t snake his way to the interior. 

Gauthier attempted to become a forechecking presence, but New York’s diligent breakouts rendered those pressures ineffective, and Carlsson attempted to collapse the opposing rush defensive structure so he could dish to a teammate on the wing, but each pass was slightly off, and the opportunities stalled.

The Ducks will have a chance for a quick reset and a different result, as they’ll host the Calgary Flames on Sunday at 5 pm PST. 

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-2 Win over the Penguins

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Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Win over the Canucks

Diving deeper into Cavs 127-117 win over Mavs: Tyrese Proctor leads bench crew to unexpected victory

Nov 14, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) reacts in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers all but punted this game after not getting back from Miami until late this morning. They rested four of the five starters from last night’s game (Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jarrett Allen, Peyton Watson) rather than risk injury on the second night of a back-to-back. Yet sometimes, the receiving team muffs the punt.

The Dallas Mavericks — who weren’t resting their starters — took their eye off the ball. Cleveland took advantage, led by a triple-double from Tyrese Proctor to ruin Kyrie Irving’s homecoming and defeat Dallas127-117.

Three stars of the game

First star: Tyrese Proctor

24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 turnover

Proctor has been a revelation over the last week. He backed up an impressive performance in Miami — albeit in a supporting role — with a dominant on-ball showing against the Mavericks.

This was a different outing than what we’ve seen from Proctor in the past. Instead of being mostly an off-ball shooter, he thrived at creating his own shots. Only one of his 10 field goals was assisted. This included going 5-for-8 on off-the-dribble jumpers.

Scoring wasn’t the only thing Proctor provided. He was the primary initiator of the offense, as evidenced by his 10 assists. Some of these led to direct baskets at the rim for Thomas Bryant (19 points and 11 rebounds) out of the pick-and-roll. Overall, six of his assists went to baskets at the rim. He also sprayed the ball to outside shooters and swung the ball on the perimeter, leading to three assists on triples.

Proctor also helped as a defender and rebounder. Kenny Atkinson often talks about how the guards need to be adequate rebounders as well. Proctor was that in a complete all-around performance.

This season, Proctor has been asked to fit into a very specific role. He’s done that well, but nights like this show that he’s capable of more.

Second star: Kyrie Irving

34 points on 11-of-25 shooting, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Irving’s 20 second-quarter points got the Mavs back into this game. He still can be a one-man offense for extended stretches and completely take over games. This was another impressive scoring performance from someone who’s had more than his fair share in this building.

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Third star: Mario Hezonja

22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Hezonja made a strong argument for why he deserves more minutes than he’s been getting in recent games. He forced mismatches offensively, and then read how the defense was going to react and consistently made the right play out of it. Hozonja processes the game at such a high level. This elevates the basketball IQ for units he’s on the court with.

Duds of the game

Cleveland’s resting starters

0 minutes, 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals

Back-to-backs are difficult, especially when travel plans are thrown off as drastically as they were around the country yesterday. It makes sense to err on the side of caution in a situation like this. What’s the point of risking an injury for a game that will matter very little in the spring? At the same time, saying that the game should be canceled because of an inconvenience like this is a bad look.

On top of that, the Cavs played some of their most inspiring basketball of the early season on Saturday night without six of the top eight players in their rotation. That is good for the guys who played, but a clear indictment on those who didn’t.

Atkinson was asked about rebounding before the game since it’s been a consistent issue with the starting group. He gave a long-winded answer that could’ve been summed up by saying there’s only so much coaching can do. “I always tell the coaches, it’s 50% on us. It’s got to transfer — the message has to get through.”

This message, and many others about how they want to play basketball on both ends, is getting through — just not to the guys who will ultimately determine wins and losses in the spring.

Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Norchad Omier

13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Omier made the most of his first real rotation minutes for the Cavs. He was impactful offensively with his ability to finish inside and hit a corner three as well. Defensively, he used his wide frame to play backup five when Bryant wasn’t out there.

The Cavs won the minutes Omier played by 11. Getting quality play like this from a two-way big went a long way toward stealing the victory.

Play of the game

Irving received a loud ovation when he was introduced as a starter, and an even louder one when they played a video tribute for his contribution to the 2016 championship team.

Quote of the day

“You know, 52 years is a long, long period of time waiting for a championship, and we did it. And I think that’s one of the hardest championships — I think. I’m not gonna say it is, I said I think personally it’s one of the hardest championships ever in NBA history that we got to accomplish.”

– Kyrie Irving on the 2016 championship

Stat of the game

The Cavs grabbed 57% of available rebounds (92nd percentile).

The Cavaliers who were available on Saturday showed that they’re capable of hearing the message from the coaching staff and applying it on the court.

Main takeaway from this game: The Cavs have some encouraging young players

I wrote about this in yesterday’s deep dive from the Miami Heat loss: The Cavs have quietly turned over their supporting cast. Their younger bench players are far more versatile than the specialists we’ve seen in previous seasons.

The trio of Tyrese Proctor, Meleek Thomas, and Jaylon Tyson have very defined roles when the starters are out there. They’ve mostly performed well in those situations and have shown glimpses of being able to do more. On Saturday, they proved that they can scale their games up when called upon.

Cleveland needed that trio to be the offensive initiators given who was out, and they did that. The ball was moving quickly around the perimeter, with each being able to attack off the dribble when needed. This resulted in the trio all scoring 18 points or more against a Mavs team actually playing their starters.

This performance on its own doesn’t necessarily mean much. It’s not uncommon to see NBA teams let up and lose when their opponent is missing half of their rotation. However, this game didn’t just come out of the blue; it was a continuation of what we’ve been seeing pretty consistently for the last week or so — specifically from Proctor and Thomas.

The Cavs are at a weird crossroads. How they’ve been playing with their star players has led to inconsistent results. We’ve seen some high highs, but some even lower lows. Something needs to change if they’re going to reach the heights they have the potential to.

Surrendering the reins to the young players isn’t the answer to their problems. But turning to the style of play that this group has embraced — and the one that all the Cavs did during the 2024-25 season — could be a solution. Just not one we’ve seen the veterans truly get on board with yet. Maybe this win changes some minds.

Goaltending Struggles Continue for Mammoth, Drop Fifth Straight Game With Shootout Loss to Sharks

Another day, another game, another 65 minutes, another shootout, another loss. Rinse, wash, repeat for the Utah Mammoth on Saturday in a 6-5 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks. Yet this game couldn’t be any more different than Thursday’s shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues.

This game had all the offense you could want. This game was also one the Mammoth should’ve statistically won.

The biggest story of Saturday’s game was Zac Jones scoring two goals. The first goal came off a great pass from Kailer Yamamoto, the defenseman’s first goal since Nov. 17, 2024. The second, a blast from the middle of the Sharks’ zone, made the game his first-ever multi-goal game in the NHL.

Jones now has seven points in his past five pro games. Three of those points are goals. He’s been a very impressive and sneaky-good pickup for the Mammoth. No matter if he’s in the American Hockey League or in the NHL, he has found ways to make a big impact, and he’s been a big favorite in both locker rooms.

“I feel good,” Jones said. “Not just the offensive part of the game. I felt like I controlled the puck well, defended well, and now I'm just going to take it and learn from it, and then hopefully take it in the next game.” 

Ben McCartney also had a very respectable game. He had three hits and played more than seven minutes during Saturday’s game, including a shift during overtime, a nearly three-minute uptick from his prior game. Both Jones and McCartney had good games, showing the depth the Mammoth have despite the massive number of injuries they’re dealing with. It’s a testament to how good the Tucson Roadrunners have been at developing and recruiting talent.

“The margins are tight, and it's likely going to come down to one point at the end of the year,” Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin said. “It's critical that our guys are able to first compete here, understand what's expected, and then go up and be able to execute when they're there. You've got to love hearing that Benny get an opportunity to play in overtime. If he's playing in overtime, you know that he's earned a little trust there.”

Three of the five goals scored by the Mammoth on Saturday were scored by defensemen, one of which was scored by Mikhail Sergachev. They are at the top of the league in goals scored by a defenseman. That’s a big pro and con. It’s impressive from the blueline, but when the defense is contributing more offense than your 12 forwards, that’s not a great stat line.

Once again, a lot of the forwards on the Mammoth didn’t contribute and remain on long goal droughts. It was good to see Barrett Hayton score his second goal in the past five games. Jack McBain now has four points in the past five games. They can’t be the only ones contributing.

We’ve talked about how the goaltenders need to stay consistent and keep performing well in multiple games in a row. That did not happen on Saturday. Karel Vejmelka was a liability on the ice and allowed five goals on 21 shots. He finished with a .762 save percentage, which somehow isn’t the worst save percentage from him this season.

The Mammoth cannot outscore to win games. That’s just not how they’re built. They are running out of games to really keep trusting Vejmelka. That is on the mind of the team as well. For the first time this season, head coach André Tourigny criticized his goaltender in his postgame availability.

“Vej has to be better,” Tourigny said. “I don't want to say that about any of our players, but that's just the way it is. So it is what it is.” 

It’s clear Vejmelka’s runway is getting shorter every game. The Mammoth can’t afford to have a goaltender struggling the way he is. They’re a team not afraid to make a move. All of the goodwill he built up over the past two seasons that culminated in an extension back in 2025 has reached the bottom of the barrel. We have gotten to the point where his final chances are coming up.

“He's in a tough situation,” Tourigny said. “I feel bad for him, but that's on the personal side. On the business side, he has a job to do, and he needs to do it now more than ever." 

The Mammoth outshot the Sharks 32-21. That is a game you should win. Going four for six on the penalty kill is ok and so is going two for five on the power play. The Mammoth are badly injured. They played decently during the game. It all comes back to keeping the puck out of their own net and finding ways to finish putting pucks in their opponent’s net.

“Our guys worked really hard,” Tourigny said. “We achieved, we showed character, and we came back. Jonesy had a great night. Scored two big goals for us, which was a key moment. When they had a push in the second period, I thought we regrouped well and scored a big goal. It's frustrating. We have nothing to show for it. It's not a league of moral victory. I think we generated a lot of offense; we almost doubled them in scoring chances.”

The Mammoth do get a point out of this one, bouncing them back into the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. However, they’ve now dropped five straight games. They can’t afford to continue just getting one or fewer points out of games if they want to keep in the race.

In every recent recap article, there’s been a final sentence about the Mammoth really needing to turn this ship around. After allowing five goals and nearly losing in regulation to a team that has really struggled over the past few weeks, that statement couldn’t be truer or said louder.

“It's frustrating right now,” Hayton said. “Having a good start, getting a lead. I think we just have to manage the game better. I know we've talked about that a lot, but just little instances make a difference. You never know when they are, but ultimately, there's gonna be games like that where it's a fine margin of error, and yeah, it's just not good enough.” 

The Mammoth will play the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. The Canucks are 3-17-1 this season, making them the worst team in the NHL as of Sunday. They’re coming off a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers and will play the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday before playing the Mammoth.

Antetokounmpo scores 34, Heat block 14 shots and roll past Pistons 137-117 for 4th straight win

MIAMI — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, some of the spectacular variety, and the Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons 137-117 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win.

Klay Thompson scored 26 points in his return from a sprained ankle and Bam Adebayo added 20 for the Heat. Davion Mitchell had 15 points and nine rebounds for Miami.

Cade Cunningham had 33 points and eight assists for Detroit, which got 20 points and seven assists from Kevin Huerter.

Miami had nine players record at least one block and finished with 14 as a team — one shy of the franchise record.

The NBA record for players on the same team having at least one block in a game is 10, done twice — both by Golden State, first in 1991 and then again in 2016. The Heat team record for players with at least one block was eight, done on five occasions.

Antetokounmpo finished a weekend where he scored 71 points in a two-day span, after finishing with 37 in Miami’s win over Cleveland on Friday night. He also had a through-the-legs assist to Thompson for a 3-pointer in the opening quarter.

It was one of six 3s on the night for Thompson, who is now 26 away from tying former Heat guard Ray Allen (2,973) for the third-most 3-pointers in NBA history.

Miami won for the seventh time in its last nine games and became the fourth team in the last 25 seasons to start 0-4 but rally to a winning record at the 13-game mark. Sacramento (7-6) did it in 2022-23, Oklahoma City (8-5) did it in 2018-19 and Dallas (9-4) did it in 2006-07.

It also matched the best nine-game stretch for the Heat since an 8-1 burst in November 2023.

Up next

Pistons: Visit San Antonio on Tuesday night.

Heat: Host Houston on Monday night.

Flyers Earn First Divisional Win on Shoulders of Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkey

Over the years, the Flyers have made a clear bad habit of starting their games slowly, dating back to former head coach John Tortorella's reign with the team.

An early two-goal deficit proved surmountable, though, as the Flyers dedicated their 4-3 comeback win to longtime Flyers physician Dr. Gary Dorshimer, who passed away on Saturday.

A wildly sluggish start to the contest saw the Flyers spot the Blue Jackets two early goals, with Dmitri Voronkov and Matthew Knies scoring exactly one minute apart to take a commanding 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the first period.

After the goal from Knies, though, the Flyers began to wake up and find their legs in the last game of this road trip, and after winning a board battle on the left wing wall, Tyson Foerster wired a no-look pass across the ice to Trevor Zegras, who blasted the puck past Jet Greaves to bring the Flyers within a goal at 2-1.

With wind in their sails heading into the middle stanza, the Flyers were primed to stage a comeback, and they did so with aplomb.

Just 1:19 into the second period, Matvei Michkov, amid all the trade controversy, made an amazing defensive play, sneaking up on Adam Fantilli, stick-lifting the Blue Jackets forward at the blue line, and racing down the other way for a breakaway goal on Greaves.

"I mean, that's a high-level, unreal play. He's played really well, like every game. I thought Vancouver, he had a really good game. Obviously, Edmonton, he played a ton. Those are big goals," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Michkov after the win.

"If you look at it, Columbus right away, 2-0. We needed some kind of a spark, and obviously Mich gave us a spark with that goal."

Flyers' Matvei Michkov Draws Intriguing Comparison to NHL SuperstarFlyers' Matvei Michkov Draws Intriguing Comparison to NHL SuperstarIf the Flyers are correct in their assessment of Matvei Michkov, they will reap big rewards in the future.

With his breakaway goal, Michkov improved his Flyers-leading tally to 11 goals on the year.

Just over a minute later, with the Flyers on a power play, fellow youngster Denver Barkey joined in on the scoring, receiving a pass from Porter Martone, pivoting, and firing past Greaves to give the Flyers their first lead of the contest at 3-2.

Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived, as an unlucky bounce fell to Fantilli right between Flyers defensemen Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, allowing the Blue Jackets forward to beat goalie Joseph Woll from distance to even the score.

Over halfway through the third period, Barkey struck again, illustrating exactly what the Flyers want out of their youth movement.

A strong offensive zone steal from Noel Acciari led to an impromptu 2-on-1 rush attempt, and Barkey buried his shot accordingly to provide the eventual dagger, giving the Flyers a 4-3 lead.

After a slow start to the season coming back from an injury that hindered his training camp and preseason preparation, Barkey has four goals, four assists, and eight points in his last 12 games for the Flyers.

With his goal, Zegras has his first point in five games, and first goal since Oct. 27, which ironically came in the dreadful 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.

Flyers Push Back on Matvei Michkov Trade RumorsFlyers Push Back on Matvei Michkov Trade RumorsFlyers general manager Danny Briere came forward to refute the wild Matvei Michkov trade rumors in a surprise press conference.

The most underrated aspect of Saturday's 4-3 win against the Blue Jackets is the fact that the Flyers have earned their first win against a divisional opponent this season.

Now, they've improved to 1-4-3 this season against Metropolitan Division rivals with lots of hockey left to play, though the hole they've dug for themselves is still considerable, to say the least.

This grind isn't ending for the Flyers anytime soon, either, as they will have to face Connor McDavid and the Oilers once again on Sunday night in what will be the second leg of a back-to-back.

After also hosting the Sabres on Tuesday, the Flyers will be back on the road again, just like that. That's why stealing an away game against a divisional opponent like they did against the Blue Jackets on Saturday was so crucial.

Islanders Lose Logan Stanley In Dominant 6-2 Victory Over Ducks

The New York Islanders defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Saturday night to cap a 2-0-1 road trip to California.

Simon Holmstrom recorded his first career hat trick, Matthew Schaefer notched three assists, and Victor Eklund extended his point streak to four games. 

Mathew Barzal returned to the lineup, recording an assist in 16:21 minutes, while leading the team with four shots on goal. 

However, despite getting Barzal back in the lineup for the first time this season, the Islanders lost defenseman Logan Stanley to a lower-body injury. 

He did not play the final 3:24 of the first period and tried to get back in on a few early shifts in the second period, but could not continue. 

The Islanders have Matt Kessel and Scott Mayfield on their bench and could also potentially place a waiver claim on former Islanders blueliner Mike Reilly, whom the Carolina Hurricanes placed on waivers Saturday afternoon.

Center Jean-Gabriel Pagaeu missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT: The Islanders host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tusday night at 7 PM ET.  

Postgame report: Pens fall to Senators

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 14: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves the puck in front of Jordan Spence #10 of the Ottawa Senators at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

The Penguins dropped a 4-1 game to the Ottawa Senators.

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Sharks Break Franchise History, Complete Multiple Comebacks to Outlast Mammoth

The San Jose Sharks had to make multiple comebacks, break a franchise record, and have another young defenseman score his first career goal, then survive overtime and a lengthy shootout in order to secure a victory against a depleted Utah Mammoth lineup.

While it wasn't a pretty performance, and there was certainly a lot to not be happy about early in the game, the Sharks did what they had to in order to pick up two points in Salt Lake City in one of the wildest games of the season.

Mammoth defenseman Zac Jones scored his first goal as a member of the Mammoth, and just the fifth of his career, off of a feed by Kailer Yamamoto on the rush. Once again, the Sharks faced an early deficit, giving up the goal just 2:15 into the game.

After Will Smith took the Sharks' second penalty in the opening nine minutes, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fired a shot from the slot on the ensuing power play. The shot flew past Yaroslav Askarov into the back of the net, doubling the Sharks' lead. 

The Sharks' power play come through in a very big way as Tyler Toffoli cut the Mammoth's lead in half with a power-play goal just past the midway point in the opening frame. 

The Sharks' momentum was short-lived as the Mammoth restored their lead in confusing fashion. Zac Jones scored for the second time in the period, getting the first multigoal game of his NHL career. It also marked just the second time in his career that he had more than one goal in a season. The referee prematurely blew the whistle though, thinking that Askarov had covered it, when reality it was sliding toward the goal line, leading to the goal being waved off initially. After a review, the referees decided it was a goal due to continuous motion, making it a 3-1 game in favor of Utah.

Will Smith thought he had brought the Sharks back within a goal early in the second period, but the goal was overturned by the officials after a short review as the play was offside. 

The Sharks wouldn't be denied for long, as Adam Gaudette scored on the power play at 3:07 in the second period and six seconds later, Zack Ostapchuk scored his second of the season to set a new franchise record for the fastest back-to-back goals in history.

The prior record jointly belonged to the 1992-93 Sharks and the 2021-22 team, both of whom scored goals seven seconds apart. 

Darnell Nurse had a bad giveaway in the defensive zone that resulted in Jack McBain restoring the Mammoth's lead less than halfway through the game.

Liam O'Brien then deflected the puck past Askarov, but the goal was initially waved off for goaltender interference. After Utah opted to challenge the decision, the officials confirmed their decision, giving the Mammoth a minor penalty for delay of game. 

Eric Pohlkamp scored his first career goal at 5:23 of the third period with a shot from distance to tie the game at 4-4.

Dmitri Orlov scored a knuckling shot from the point that tricked Karel Vejmelka and found its way into the net, giving the Sharks their first lead of the night with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.

Ivar Stenberg took a late slashing penalty, giving the Mammoth's high-powered power play a chance to tie it up and they did just that. Barrett Hayton scored his third goal of the season fairly quickly to make it a 5-5 hockey game.

Neither regulation nor overtime would decide a winner, so the game went into a shootout to decide the victor. It took until the fifth round for Mason Marchment to score the winning goal, securing a 6-5 victory over the Mammoth. The Sharks now need to travel back to the Shark Tank, as they'll host the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. 

Braves News: Players reviews, offseason marches on, more

LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 10: Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos speaks to the media during the 2026 MLB Awards week at ARIA Resort and Casino on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The clock keeps ticking on the impending lockout, as we are starting to see a few notable moves (including Atlanta’s acquisition of Evan Phillips), with a free agent frenzy expected before the lockout.

Braves News

We reviewed the brief contributions of Rowdy Tellez to the Braves in 2026.

The Athletic has some reporting on the Braves’ intentions for the remainder of the offseason.

MLB News

Starter Kris Bubic is reportedly getting a lot of interest on the free agent market.

The continues to be some uncertainty on the viability of a Ketel Marte trade, in part due to his no-trade protection.

Yankees news: Odds and ends from the GM meetings

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks to a reporter before the Hall of Fame press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in New York. Hall Of Fame Presser | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: With the GM meetings coming to a close, Phillips highlights some of the lower-profile tidbits that came out of the meetings that may not have made the biggest headlines, but should still catch your eye. Among them, the fact that Jasson Dominguez will be playing winter ball in the Domininan Republic, with the 23-year-old’s future with the Yankees very uncertain at this point. Also noted is the Yankees’ interest in reuniting with Tim Hill, as well as Brian Cashman’s assertion that the Yankees still see prospect Carlos Lagrange as a starter going forward.

ESPN | Jeff Passan: In case you missed it, the Red Sox made the first free-agent splash of the offseason, inking Brewers playoff hero Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million deal. It’s a sizable commitment to a player who was essentially replacement level for his career prior to last year, but a 140 OPS+ from the 30-year-old convinced Boston to pony up. Bauers joins a roster that’s already pretty crowded at the 1B/DH spots, with Willson Contreras, Masataka Yoshida, and Tristian Casas on hand, though the latter certainly have lengthy injury histories.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees met this week with Shoki Oda, the 18-year-old Japanese phenom who has forgone signing with the Yomiuri Giants to explore coming to the United States out of high school. New York’s pitch promoted their ability to develop pitchers and featured Sam Briend, the club’s senior director of pitching development. New York appears keen on signing the teenager, who can hit 97 mph on the radar gun, though they face competition from, of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Houston Rockets vs. Washington Wizards game preview

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 02: Tari Eason #17 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against Sharife Cooper #13 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on March 2, 2026 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Well, we all called it. The Houston Rockets struggled to put away the 1-11 Utah Jazz. Who could have seen this coming? (All of us. All of us saw it coming.)

Thankfully, Houston picked up the win. Now they head to the nation’s capital to take on the new-look Washington Wizards and begin a four-game road trip. Xiane has mentioned that last season’s schedule really hurt Houston and the road-heavy start and middle was not made up for by the home-heavy end of the season, by which point the Rockets had already checked out and forgotten how to shoot.

The Wizards are 4-9 and coming off a tough 2OT loss to the Detroit Pistons. A Trae Young buzzer beater got them to OT, where they raced out to a quick 7-point lead. Then that was that. They’ve had two days off to recover and should not be taken lightly. Of course, this Houston team is likely to take them lightly.

It’s early in the season, so Anthony Davis is healthy. It’ll be more of a test than the Jazz were able to throw at Alperen Sengun. The rest of Atlanta’s starting lineup consists of Young, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, and #1 overall pick AJ Dybansta. To round out the rotation, they have Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, and Deandre Ayton.

Tip-off

6pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Clint Capela: OUT

Steven Adams: OUT

Marcus Smart: OUT (suspension)

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Wizards

Alex Sarr: GTD

Bub Carrington: GTD

Justin Champagnie: OUT

Tristan Vukcevic: OUT

Reece Beekman: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Schedule Advantage Counter

Rockets: 2

Opponents: 3

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow night in Miami against a schedule loss the Miami Heat

Hurricanes leave Finland with sweep of Kraken

HELSINKI (AP) — Jordan Staal returned from injury, Andrei Svechnikov and Mark Jankowski each scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Saturday to sweep the NHL’s Global Series in Finland’s capital.

The Hurricanes (16-3-2) followed on their dominant 4-1 victory on Thursday and extended their winning streak to four.

Carolina became the first NHL franchise to win each of its first four regular-season games played outside North America following a sweep of a 2010 series against the Minnesota Wild, also in Helsinki.

Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes, Nikolaj Ehlers had three assists and Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 12 shots for his 12th win in 13 games.

Svechnikov scored on power plays with two identical goals from the right circle in the middle period, one-timing a precise snap shot to make it 3-0 and another for a 4-1 advantage. He has five goals in his four-game point streak and has 11 goals on the season.

His second goal with 9:55 left in the second period prompted the Kraken to pull Joey Daccord after he allowed four goals on 14 shots. Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves in relief.

JETS 5, BLACKHAWKS 4 (SO)

CHICAGO (AP) — Mark Scheifele had a goal and three assists, Kyle Connor scored a goal in regulation and had the deciding shootout goal, and Winnipeg rallied from a four-goal deficit to beat Chicago.

The Jets’ sixth straight win was their second comeback from four goals down this season. They scored four times in 2:07 to beat Montreal 5-4 in overtime on Nov. 3.

Gabriel Vilardi’s shot from the right slot tied the game 4-all with 1:13 left in regulation and goalie Nico Daws pulled for an extra attacker.

Scheifele also scored in the shootout. Daws stopped Roman Kantserov to lock up the victory.

WILD 6, BRUINS 2

BOSTON (AP) — Ryan Hartman and Danila Yurov scored two goals each, Jesper Wallstedt stopped 30 shots, and Minnesota beat Boston to extend their road winning streak to eight games.

Kirill Kaprizov extended his point streak to 11 games (six goals, 14 assists) with two assists for the West-leading Wild, who have earned at least a point in 11 straight games (9-0-2).

Quinn Hughes and Blake Coleman scored 67 seconds apart in the opening two minutes of the second period for Minnesota, which cruised to its NHL-best 10th road victory. Yurov scored both of his in the third period, the second an empty-netter.

David Pastrnak and Fraser Minten scored for Boston, which lost its second straight home game after winning seven in a row at TD Garden. Both losses came wearing their new mostly brown “varsity jerseys” with bright yellow numbers, trim and helmets that they debuted Thursday.

OILERS 1, MAPLE LEAFS 0

TORONTO (AP) — Connor McDavid extended his season-opening points streak to 21 games with an assist, Devon Levi made 19 saves for his first NHL shutout and Edmonton beat Toronto to hand the Maple Leafs their sixth straight home loss.

Defenseman Evan Bouchard scored his 12th goal of the season for Edmonton (15-3-3). The Oilers are 7-1-1 in their last nine games.

McDavid picked up an assist to give him 50 points (11 goals, 39 assists) and add to his NHL lead.

Oilers coach Mike Babcock faced his former team in Toronto for the first time since being fired in November 2019.

Anthony Stolarz stopped 22 shots for Toronto (8-12-2), which suffered its sixth consecutive regulation loss to complete a disastrous six-game stretch at Scotiabank Arena.

AVALANCHE 4, CANADIENS 1

MONTREAL (AP) — Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist and short-handed Colorado beat Montreal without injured stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

MacKinnon and Makar both sustained lower-body injuries Thursday night in a 4-3 overtime loss in Ottawa. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said MacKinnon will be out at least a month, while Makar is expected to miss two weeks.

Fedor Svechkov, Brock Nelson and Nicolas Roy also scored for Colorado (12-6-3). Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 shots.

Nick Suzuki replied with a highlight-reel goal for Montreal (12-4-4), which had gone 12 consecutive games without losing in regulation (9-0-3).

Jakub Dobes made 22 saves in his first start in nine days.

RED WINGS 2, LIGHTNING 0

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Daniil Tarasov stopped 31 shots for his second shutout of the season, Lucas Raymond had a goal and two points and Detroit beat Tampa Bay.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard also scored to help the Red Wings snap a five-game losing streak.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots for Tampa Bay, which was shut out for the first time since December 8, 2025 at Toronto.

The Lightning lost for the first time at home this season, ending a franchise record eight-game home winning streak to start the season.

SENATORS 4, PENGUINS 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Claude Giroux scored a goal and Ottawa beat Pittsburgh.

Giroux, the longtime Philadelphia Flyer, has 79 points in 74 career games against Pittsburgh. He’s two points away from tying Sergei Fedorov (1,179) for 58th-place in NHL history.

Tim Stutzle scored his 11th goal of the season, and Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot also had goals for the Senators, who have won five of their last seven games.

Linus Ullmark made 16 saves for his 200th NHL win.

Ullmark joined Martin Gerber as the only goalies in franchise history to start a season with nine wins in their first 10 appearances. Ullmark, who is 9-0-1 in 10 career games vs. Pittsburgh, has allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of his last 13 regular season starts.

Tommy Novak scored the lone goal for the Penguins, who have lost six of their last eight games.

DEVILS 7, CAPITALS 4

WASHINGTON (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck recovered from a shaky start to make 43 saves, remaining unbeaten in net with New Jersey as the surging Devils defeated Washington.

Evan Rodrigues scored twice for the Devils, who earned their second win against Washington in three days. Jesper Boqvist, Connor Brown and Lenni Hameenaho each had a goal and two assists, and defenseman Luke Hughes added three assists.

Nico Hischier and Timo Meier also scored to help New Jersey improve to 11-2 since Oct. 20 with its seventh victory in eight games. Meier’s power-play goal late in the second period gave the Devils their first lead, 4-3, and Hischier’s short-handed goal made it 5-3 early in the third.

Rodrigues scored at 3:18 to make it 6-4 and added an empty-netter with 3:15 left.

FLYERS 4, BLUE JACKETS 3

COLUBUS, Ohio (AP) — Denver Barkey scored twice and Philadelphia rallied to beat Columbus, sending the Blue Jackets to their fourth consecutive loss and third straight at home.

Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov also scored, and Joseph Woll stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia, which won for the second time in its last six games and finished its five-game trip with points in four straight.

Dmitri Voronkov, Matthew Knies and Adam Fantilli scored for Columbus. Jet Greaves stopped 17 shots in his sixth straight loss.

Voronkov scored his first of the season at 3:19 of the first and Knies added a goal a minute later to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. Luca Del Bel Belluz, who replaced the injured Sean Monahan, notched his first assist of the season.

PANTHERS 4, BLUES 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brady and Matthew Tkachuk participated in a pregame ceremony to honor their father, then led Florida to a win over St. Louis.

Brady Tkachuk scored the opening goal, and each brother had an assist in a dominant homecoming. Dmitry Kulikov, Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart also scored, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots for Florida.

Dylan Holloway scored a power-play goal with 2:06 remaining as the Blues avoided being shut out in regulation for the second straight game. They defeated Utah 1-0 in a shootout Thursday night.

Brady Tkachuk scored 5:12 into the first period, beating goalie Joel Hofer on the glove side during an extended shift on the power play. His brother, Matthew, had the secondary assist after also drawing the high stick that gave Florida a 5-on-3 advantage following an early too-many-men penalty on St. Louis.

Keith Tkachuk, who concluded his 18-year career with the Blues, was honored in a pregame ceremony recognizing his induction last weekend into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His two sons, playing together in their hometown for the first time in the NHL, used two of Keith’s old sticks during a ceremonial puck drop before the game. Then they showed why they’re All-Stars in their own right.

STARS 2, BUFFALO 0

DALLAS (AP) — Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to lead Dallas to a win over Buffalo, just two days after being pulled after allowing a season-high six goals.

It’s Oettinger’s fourth shutout this season and first since Oct. 17. Oettinger posted shutouts in three of Dallas’ first six games — including a 4-0 win against Buffalo on Oct. 8 — but had allowed 14 goals in his past three starts, including six in an 8-3 loss to Winnipeg on Thursday.

Stars captain Jamie Benn snapped a scoreless game late in the second period with a goal for the 1,000th point of his 18-year career to give Dallas a 1-0 lead.

Wyatt Johnston took an assist from Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz and scored on a power play with 40 seconds remaining for the final score.

SHARKS 6, MAMMOTH 5 (SO)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mason Marchment flicked in a wrist shot in the fifth round of a shootout to lift San Jose to a win over Utah.

Tyler Toffoli, Adam Gaudette, Zack Ostapchuk, Eric Pohlkamp, and Dmitry Orlov all scored goals for San Jose in regulation. Yaroslav Askarov made 27 stops for the Sharks.

Zac Jones scored a pair of goals to lead Utah and Kailer Yamamoto had three assists. Mikhail Sergachev, Jack McBain, and Barrett Hayton also scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka tallied 16 saves.

ISLANDERS 6, DUCKS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Simon Holmstrom had his first career hat trick, Matthew Schaefer added three assists and New York rolled to a victory over Anaheim.

Ben Hutton scored in the opening two minutes while Bo Horvat and Mitchell Chaffee also scored as the Islanders won for the second time in three days in the Los Angeles area after a 5-2 victory over the Kings on Thursday night.

Mathew Barzal had an assist in his season debut for New York and Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves.

Cutter Gauthier scored for the Ducks to extend his goals streak to eight games. Nikita Nesterenko also had a goal for Anaheim and Lukas Dostal made 19 saves.

FLAMES 3, KINGS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matvei Gridin scored the go-ahead goal with 8:39 remaining and Calgary held off Los Angeles.

Yegor Sharangovich had an empty-net goal and an assist, and Morgan Frost also scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 29 saves, helping the Flames improve to 2-0-1 in their last three road games after winning just one of their first six away from the Saddledome.

Sharangovich’s empty-netter with 1:14 left gave Calgary a 3-1 lead. Mats Zuccarello scored his first goal for Los Angeles just 18 seconds later as the Kings skated with a 6-on-5 advantage.

Wolf, a Northern California native who moved to suburban Los Angeles and then Orange County to participate in the Kings’ youth hockey program during his formative years, has won five of six games against them in his NHL career.

Joel Armia also scored and Anton Forsberg stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who lost five of seven games on their homestand. It concluded with four straight defeats in which they totaled six goals.

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