Posts

Posted on

Rust Gone: Mackenzie Blackwood Delivers Statement Shutout for Avalanche

Mackenzie Blackwood has insisted in recent weeks that all he needed was steady minutes and a consistent rhythm to rediscover his form. On Saturday night in Nashville, he proved it, delivering a commanding performance in Colorado’s 3–0 shutout of the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Blackwood made 35 saves in a heroic performance, while Brent Burns, Jack Drury, and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche, who extended their winning streak to eight games to improve their NHL-best 15-1-5 record.

It wasn't a perfect game. The Predators outshot the Avalanche 35-26 and Colorado struggled with puck control at points in the game, but Blackwood stood tall and made incredible saves throughout the game.

Nashville's Juuse Saros made one mistake 15 seconds into the game and that decided the game. He stopped 23 of 24 shots in an otherwise great performance.

First Period

The Avalanche needed only 15 seconds to seize a 1–0 lead. Burns gathered a loose puck at the point and rifled a shot through traffic, a blast Saros never picked up. Just like that, Colorado was in front. But from that moment on, the first period belonged almost entirely to Nashville.

Despite striking first, the Avs were on their heels for long stretches as the Predators dictated the tempo, outshooting Colorado 7–2 at one stage. Still, Colorado found ways to manufacture key moments. Burns delivered again later in the frame, laying out for a sliding block on a Steven Stamkos chance to disrupt what looked like a dangerous rush.

Luke Evangelista nearly broke through with nine minutes left, snapping a shot off the short-side post as Colorado continued to struggle exiting its own zone. Moments later, with under six minutes remaining, the Avalanche were staring down a delayed penalty when Nashville kept possession long enough for Roman Josi to hammer a one-timer off the rush. Blackwood, however, delivered a stellar save to preserve the lead—before Martin Nečas was sent off for holding.

After a successful kill, Blackwood produced an even more dazzling moment, robbing Filip Forsberg from point-blank range with a spectacular glove save that left the crowd gasping.

Second Period

The middle frame opened with a scare, as a turnover at the blue line gifted Forsberg another prime opportunity. But Blackwood—now fully settled in—stonewalled him yet again.

Devon Toews was whistled for tripping shortly after, though replays showed Evangelista actually stepping on Toews’ stick. Nevertheless, Nashville returned to the power play. Colorado’s penalty killers handled their business, and soon after the Avs earned their own man advantage when Forsberg slashed Cale Makar’s stick clean out of his hands.

It was the first look at the reconfigured top power-play unit featuring Gabe Landeskog in place of Victor Olofsson. They generated a few sequences, but nothing found the net.

As the period progressed, the Avs flipped the script. Unlike the opening 20 minutes, Colorado controlled possession and pace, while Blackwood continued authoring his best performance of the season.

Olofsson nearly doubled the lead with under four minutes remaining. He burst onto a loose puck in Nashville’s zone and got a shot off despite being hacked on the hands by Spencer Stastney, but no penalty was called.

The period ended scoreless, and after 40 minutes, the Avalanche still held a 1–0 edge behind Blackwood’s brilliance.

Third Period

Nashville earned another power play less than four minutes into the third when Toews was penalized for interference after losing his stick. Colorado’s penalty killers, perfect to that point, remained flawless once more.

The Predators then handed the Avs another opportunity when Michael McCarron took an interference penalty on Drury, but Colorado’s power play came up empty again. At that stage, the two teams were a combined 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

Midway through the frame, the Avalanche generated multiple grade-A looks, but Saros kept them alive. He denied Drury on a net-front jam attempt and then robbed Brock Nelson with a sharp glove save on a backhander.

Blackwood promptly delivered the save of the night at the other end, kicking out his pad to stone Erik Haula. Colorado surged back with MacKinnon slicing through the neutral zone, though his attempted feed to Landeskog didn’t connect.

With fewer than two minutes left, Nashville pulled Saros for the extra skater. MacKinnon promptly found the empty net to extend the lead to 2–0, and Drury followed with a second empty-netter to cement a 3–0 victory.

Mackenzie Blackwood, sensational from start to finish, earned the shutout.

Next Game

The Avalanche have no time to rest as they have another game tomorrow against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks, losers of their last two games, come into the game with a 10-7-4 record. Coverage from United Center kicks off at 5 p.m. 

Image

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

Dodgers historic postseason homers by Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Miguel Rojas fetch big bucks at auction

Toronto, Ontario, Canada November 1, 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) hits a solo home run in the 11th inning during game seven of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Roger Centre on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers catcher Will Smith hits a pivotal home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Roger Centre on Nov. 1, 2025. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Talk about easing the blow. The Canadian father-son duo that secured not one, but both home run balls that doomed the Toronto Blue Jays team they root for in Game 7 of the World Series turned the evidence into some serious U.S. currency Saturday night.

Dodgers fans will never forget those baseballs hit by Miguel Rojas in the ninth inning and Will Smith in the 11th flying over the left-field wall and into the first row of seats beyond the Blue Jays' bullpen.

John and Matthew Bains — sitting side-by-side — will never forget the balls ending up in their hands. John, 61, caught Rojas' 387-foot home run in his glove on the fly. Two innings later, Matthew, seated next to his dad, saw Smith's blast land in the bullpen and bounce directly into his hands.

Novices they were not. John has been a Blue Jays fan since the team's inception in 1977 and purposely sits where he does for proximity to home runs. In fact, he caught one during the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees a few weeks earlier.

Read more:Kid thought he was going to dentist. Dad took him to World Series and he caught Freddie Freeman's grand slam

Both men brought baseballs into the stadium that they threw back onto the field, giving the Blue Jays faithful the impression the Bains did the honorable thing when, in fact, they did the smart thing for their bank accounts.

On Saturday night, the balls were sold at auction. Smith's homer, which provided the Dodgers with the winning run, sold for $168,000 while Rojas' blast that sent the game into extra innings fetched $156,000.

A third unforgettable Dodgers home run ball from the 2025 postseason eclipsed the Game 7 balls. The second of Shohei Ohtani's three home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series sold for $270,000 in the same SCP Auction.

It was the longest of the his three, landing on the Dodger Stadium right-field roof 469 feet from home plate. And it was a key element in what is considered perhaps the greatest single performance in baseball history. Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings on the mound in addition to his offensive exploits, sending the Dodgers to the World Series.

Carlo Mendoza's story of how he ended up with Ohtani's ball is no less head-shaking than that of the Bains boys. The 26-year-old Los Angeles man said he was eating nachos in a food court behind the right-field pavilion and saw Ohtani hit the home run on a television monitor. He heard the ball hit the roof, dashed toward the sound and retrieved the ball from under a bush.

All three balls were authenticated by SCP Auctions through notarized affidavits and lie detector tests. SCP owner David Kohler said Mendoza was so apprehensive about handing over the ball that he insisted meeting Kohler in the parking lot of the Long Beach Police Dept.

Read more:In a World Series finale for the ages, Dodgers cement their dynasty in win over Blue Jays

"We authenticated through polygraph and eyewitnesses due diligence," Kohler said. "From the time we announced we had these baseballs until now, no one else has come forward and said they have the balls. There's been no contention."

The baseballs got top billing in the wide-ranging auction that included 579 items, but a Lou Gehrig game-worn jersey sold for well more than the three balls combined. The Hall of Fame Yankee first baseman hit his last World Series home run in 1937 wearing the jersey, for which a collector paid more than $2.5 million.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Oilers Outlast Panthers In Fiery Rematch To Close Road Trip Strong

The Edmonton Oilers walked into Sunrise expecting a battle, but their Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers turned into something closer to a street fight. Edmonton emerged with a massive regulation win, closing out their seven-game road trip with attitude, pushback, and a whole lot of attitude in a game that offered a bit of retribution. 

Jack Roslovic got things started early, putting a soft one past Sergei Bobrovsky for the 1–0 lead. Anton Lundell answered, but Roslovic buried his second just 36 seconds later after Evan Bouchard froze the entire rink with a shot fake before feathering a perfect pass. Roslovic now sits at 9-8-17 in 22 games, riding one of the hottest stretches on the team. 

Mattias Ekholm extended the lead on a late power play, and Vasily Podkolzin’s bad-angle snipe chased Bobrovsky from the game entirely.

Edmonton looked in full control at 4–1, but Florida stormed back with two in the second, outworking the Oilers and threatening another ending where the Oilers let one slip away. 

Things Got Physical And The Oilers Got Two Empty-Netters

The real turning point? The willingness of the Oilers to stay in the fight. There were scrums, shoves, facewashes—and even an MMA-style slam throughout the game. Instead of backing down, the Oilers pushed right back, matching Florida’s intensity shift for shift.

Edmonton didn't fold when the Panthers made a goalie switch, and Daniil Tarasov came in and played outstanding hockey. Florida pushed in the second period, and they outplayed Edmonton in the middle frame. Tarasov didn't allow a goal, so the Oilers had to score twice when the Panthers pulled him in an attempt to tie the game. 

This was a tired Oilers group that had traveled on one of the most trying road trips of the season. Getting three points out of a final four has to be seen as a win. 

Key Oilers Defenseman Unexpectedly Missing From Morning WarmupKey Oilers Defenseman Unexpectedly Missing From Morning WarmupJake Walman's absence from warmup sparks concern. Is it rest, or has the defenseman's physical game taken its toll before facing the Panthers?

Notable Performances:

Stuart Skinner quietly delivered one of his steadier nights, stopping 35 shots and holding off a desperate Florida push. The goals against were not a result of his making mistakes. Anton Lundell jammed home a puck in the crease, and Darnell Nurse lost sight of his man in the crease. The other two goals were one-timers that would have been difficult for Skinner to stop. He noted 

Jack Roslovic continues to impress. The thought was that he might drop off with his play and his production would decline, but that hasn't happened. Offensively, he looks confident and he's providing the kind of depth scoring the Oilers have need for some time. He's got nine goals since joining the team. "This game was a good momentum builder," said Roslovic after the game.

Connor Clattenburg didn't look out of place in his first NHL game. He was looking for action, but didn't get any takers. Hey may not stay in the NHL for long, but there is a lot to like about this player. 

Matt Savoie looks like he's coming along. He was hard on the puck, smart defensively, and got rewarded with one of the last two goals. 

Evan Bouchard had three points, played big minutes, and made some nice plays on two goals. Ekholm and Bouchard played well together. 

The Oilers pulled out a big win over the Panthers. Photo by © Sam Navarro Imagn Images

The Panthers pulled the goalie twice, but Connor McDavid and Matt Savoie sealed it with a pair of empty-netters. The Oilers haven't always been known for capitalizing on the empty-net situations. They did twice. 

The Oilers showed something important: they can handle the nastiness in a Stanley Cup rematch with a team they wanted to beat, and they can finish off a difficult road trip and feel better about their game as things start to get a little easier for them. 

As the team inches toward its 30-game evaluation point, this was the kind of win that makes the front office think twice about tinkering too much. "The fact we came out .500, we should be pleased. There were some games that got away from us... a little bitter for us. Overall, I like where our guys are going."

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.   Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.

Posted on

Tim Stützle's Third Period Goal Gives Senators 3-2 Win In San Jose

The Ottawa Senators' seven-game road trip is off to an excellent start. Tim Stützle had two points, including the game winning goal in the third as the Sens defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Saturday night. After their victory in Anaheim on Thursday, it's the second time in three days the Senators rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win in California, 3-2.

The game marked the return of Thomas Chabot after his November 11th upper body injury. However, on a late third-period power play, he appeared to injure himself again while following through on a wrist shot from the point. He left the ice and was in visible discomfort on the bench in the final few minutes.

Just over a minute into the game, Will Smith gave the Senators a slap in the face, appearing to open the scoring 1:27 into the first period, but his goal was overturned on an offside challenge. 

The Senators struck first on the power play at the 7:50 mark of the first period. Tim Stützle carried the puck down the left wing and appeared to be trying to hit Claude Giroux on the far side, but his hard pass was redirected into the net by Dylan Cozens in the slot. Cozens’ eighth goal of the year made it 1–0.

With less than four minutes to go in the first, the Sharks tied things up on their own power play. John Klingberg’s wrist shot beat a screened Linus Ullmark to make it 1–1.

Just under eight minutes into the second, after a poor neutral zone turnover by Stützle, Barclay Goodrow made it 2–1 for the Sharks. Alex Wennberg appeared to smack home a rebound in the slot, but they ruled the puck went in off a falling Goodrow to give San Jose the lead.

The Senators have been waiting for Fabian Zetterlund to recapture the scoring form he once showed in San Jose, and a return to the Bay Area seemed to serve him well. Zetterlund, who had only one goal in his previous 20 games, broke in over the blue line and absolutely ripped one home to tie the game at 2. It was his first goal in San Jose since the Sharks traded him last March.

With under seven minutes to play, a great stretch pass from Jake Sanderson sent the Senators in on a 2-on-0 with Drake Batherson and Nick Cousins. After a chaotic finish to the play, the puck somehow ended up sitting right on the goal line. Stützle out-hustled everyone to jam in the loose puck for what would stand as the game-winning goal.

Ullmark made 17 saves, including a couple of beauties from close range in the dying seconds. 

With the win, the Senators improve to 11-6-4 on the season. After a flat 2-4-1 start to the season, start, they've gone 9-2-3 since.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

Posted on

Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Hits New Milestone

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is already one of the best players in NHL history, and on Saturday, he added a new milestone to his outstanding career. 

After notching a goal and an assist against the Seattle Kraken, he became only the sixth player in NHL history to notch 500 multi-point games, joining Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne, Mark Messier, and Gordie Howe.

Crosby is also the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach 500 multi-point games.

Crosby scored the tying goal in the second period to make it a 1-1 game before getting an assist on Evgeni Malkin's goal in the third period that made it a 2-1 game. The Penguins eventually lost in overtime, thanks to a game-winning goal from Brandon Montour. 

Despite that, Crosby hit a new milestone and is also getting closer to passing Mario Lemieux for the Penguins' franchise record in points. He's 13 away from tying Lemieux and 14 away from passing him.

The Penguins will be back in action on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres.

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

Posted on

Devils score first before allowing five straight goals en route to 6-3 loss to Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers set a franchise record by scoring three goals in just 26 seconds in the first period on Saturday night against New Jersey, getting two from Tyson Foerster in 17 seconds and one from Matvei Michkov on their way to a 6-3 win over the Devils.

The Flyers scored three goals in the fourth-fastest time in NHL history. Boston needed 20 seconds when it scored three against Vancouver in 1971. Washington (1990) and Chicago (1952) scored three goals in 21 seconds, and the Montreal Maroons needed 24 seconds to score three against the Rangers in 1932.

The Flyers scored three goals in 35 seconds on a March 1, 1979 game against Boston. Behn Wilson, Blake Dunlop and Al Hill scored for the Flyers in a game that ended in a 4-4 tie.

The Flyers and Devils were tied at 1 in the first when the scoring barrage started.

Michkov scored his fifth goal of the season in his 100th career game at the 12:06 mark. Foerster beat Jake Allen on two consecutive shots at 12:15 and 12:32 for his sixth and seventh goals of the season.

All three goals were at even strength.

Foerster’s two goals in 17 seconds were the fastest by a Flyer since Jeff Carter netted two in 13 seconds against Atlanta on Jan. 8, 2008.

The Flyers took a 4-1 lead on a night they honored Hall of Fame goalie Bernie Parent, who died two months ago at age 80.

Bobby Brink made it 5-1 in the second period, and Trevor Zegras scored on a breakaway in the third for a 6-3 lead.

Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Simon Nemec scored for the Devils.

Allen stopped 23 shots. He had allowed only four goals total in his last three starts and entered with a .920 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average.

Dan Vladar had 32 saves for the Flyers, who still allowed the first goal for the seventh straight game.

Up next

Devils: Host Detroit on Monday.

Flyers: Play Monday at Tampa Bay.

Posted on

Patrick Kane Joins Former Red Wing Brendan Shanahan With Latest Mark

The Detroit Red Wings offered their fans a thrilling comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon, coming back from a 3-1 third period deficit to seize a 4-3 victory in overtime.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Forward Alex DeBrincat played the role of hero for Detroit in the extra session, scoring his seventh goal of the season and capping a comeback victory that was made possible by third period goals from defensemen Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider along with another impressive performance from Cam Talbot in net. 

Assisting on the goals by Chiarot and Alex DeBrincat was forward Patrick Kane, who has now tied former Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan in total career NHL points with 1,354. He's now tied for 29th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.

Kane is playing in his second full season with the Red Wings, and third overall, since he decided to join the club as an unrestricted free agent nearly two full years ago in December 2023. 

Image

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum

Posted on

Panthers drop Stanley Cup Final rematch to visiting Oilers 6-3

The Florida Panthers welcomed the Edmonton Oilers to Sunrise on Saturday night for a Stanley Cup Final rematch.

A wild, high-scoring night would not go the Panthers way as the Oilers skated to a strong 6-3 win.

Edmonton got on the scoreboard early, thanks to a seeing-eye shot by Jack Roslovic from the right-side boards that squeaked between Sergei Bobrovsky’s skate and the goal post.

The game was just 25 seconds old and the Oilers already had a 1-0 lead.

It would take the Panthers just over six minutes to get the scored tied back up.

Mackie Samoskevich picked up the puck in the corner to Stuart Skinner’s left and carried it behind the net before sending a pass to Anton Lundell at the top of the crease.

Lundell gave the puck a few whacks and it eventually slid under Skinner and into the net to know the score at one.

The lead was extremely short lived.

With play back in Florida’s end and along the left boards, Roslovic forced a turnover off the stick of Uvis Balinskis that sent the puck to Evan Bouchard at the point. With Roslovic driving to the net, Bouchard found him with a pass that left Bobrovsky out of position, leading to an easy tally for the Oilers’ forward and another lead for the visitors.

Edmonton would expand that lead later in the period as Mattias Ekholm found a loose puck in the slot moments after an Oilers power play expired and beat what appeared to be a screened Bobrovsky to make it 3-1 with 7:02 to go in the period.

A fourth Oilers goal 6:45 into the middle frame would be the end of the night for Bobrovsky.

Vasily Podkolzin shot the puck from just above the goal line to Bob’s right, and despite the tough angle, beat Florida’s goaltender and sent him to the showers after allowing four goals on just 17 shots.

The Panthers got one back just past the midway point of the period when Samoskevich one-timed a pass from Balinskis past Skinner to cut Edmonton’s lead to 4-2 at the 10:04 mark.

Florida’s comeback attempt picked up steam less than five minutes later.

With the Panthers on the power play thanks to a Brett Kulak hook on Sam Reinhart, it would be Reino himself who made the Oilers pay.

While standing on the doorstep, Reinhart backhanded an Anton Lundell rebound out of midair and through Skinner to cut Edmonton’s lead to 4-3 with 6:30 to go in the second period.

That’s as close as the Panthers would get, though.

A Connor McDavid empty-net goal with 2:40 to go and another by Matt Savoie 30 seconds later would be the final nails in Florida’s coffin.

On to Nashville.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Despite Inconsistent Start Panthers Could Inch Closer To Top Of Atlantic Division Standings

The Panthers Den: Florida starting to show consistency with playing winning hockey

Panthers set to host Oilers in Stanley Cup Final rematch as Cats search for third straight win

The Hockey Show: Winter Classic uniforms, endless injuries, Adnan Virk

Three takeaways: Devine shows confidence in NHL debut, Bobrovsky bounces back in big way

Photo caption: Nov 22, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) defends his net against a shot from Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Posted on

Watch James Harden drop 55 on Hornets; Chris Paul plays likely final game in native North Carolina

Chris Paul drew the headlines — and a warm welcome from the Charlotte crowd — after he suggested he is going to retire after this season and this could be his final game in his home state.

However, it was James Harden who carried the Clippers, scoring 27 points in the first quarter on his way to a franchise-high 55 in the game.

Behind Harden, the Clippers picked up a 131-116 win on the road, something much needed for a team that had lost 9-of-10. Ivica Zubac added 18 points for Los Angeles.

It was a rough night for Charlotte fans watching their team drop its fifth straight, but they gave a huge ovation to Paul in what might be his final game in his native North Carolina.

The good news for Charlotte was that Brandon Miller returned after missing the last 13 games due to a shoulder injury, and he dropped 21 in the loss. Rookie Kon Knueppel led the Hornets with 26 points.

Posted on

Knicks' Landry Shamet to be evaluated in next few days after suffering shoulder injury vs. Magic

Knicks guard Landry Shametleft Saturday's game against the Orlando Magic early due to a shoulder injury.

Shamet, starting with OG Anunoby injured, collided with Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. midcourt. Shamet immediately grabbed at his right shoulder and ran to the locker room with a trainer. 

The Knicks announced Shamet suffered a shoulder injury before the start of the second quarter and ruled him out for the rest of the game. Following the Knicks' loss to the Magic, coach Mike Brown gave a short update on Shamet's next step, saying the guard will get a full evaluation in the next few days, but he didn't know more than that.

Shamet will travel with his team back to New York as the Knicks' next game is against the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday.

In less than three minutes on the court, Shamet had two assists and was a plus-six before his injury.

This is the same shoulder Shamet dislocated during the 2024 preseason. He was later signed by New York in December and helped the Knicks as a key bench player.

This season, Shamet has had some great moments. Entering Saturday, Shamet is averaging 9.9 points on 45 percent shooting. He made some key threes in the Knicks' win over the Mavericks and scored a career-high 36 points in the Knicks' win over the Heat last Friday.

Posted on

Knicks' defense no-shows fourth quarter in 133-121 loss to Magic

Despite a double-double from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks defense collapsed in the fourth quarter in their 133-121 loss to the Magic in Orlando on Saturday.

Coming off their first road win of the season, the Knicks could not duplicate their performance as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three to defeat New York for the second straight time this season.

The last time these two teams met (Nov. 12 at MSG), the Magic outmuscled the Knicks and ended New York's five-game winning streak, 124-107. It was arguably the team's worst loss of the season. This one is probably their second-worst.

Brunson, who injured his ankle the last time he faced the Magic and missed two games, led New York with 33 points on 12 of 21 shooting with 11 assists and three rebounds. 

Unfortunately for the Knicks, they lost two rotation players in this one. Miles McBride was questionable before the game with an illness, but was good to go after shootaround. However, the guard never saw the floor and was not seen on the bench for the whole game. Landry Shamet, who started alongside Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, left early in the first quarter after a midcourt collision led to a shoulder injury.

The Knicks (9-6) are now 1-5 on the road this season.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Knicks, led by Brunson, got off to a quick 11-2 start, but the shots stopped falling and the Magic got out to a 12-0 run of their own once the bench started coming in. 

The Villanova trio of Brunson (14), Bridges (9) and Josh Hart (2) accounted for 25 of the team's 29 points in the quarter. However, Hart picked up three fouls in the first in extended time with Shamet out. Towns was 0-for-4 (0-2 from three) in the first quarter.

The Magic ended the opening frame up 31-29, thanks to Desmond Bane grabbing a rebound on a missed free throw by his teammate and flipping the ball up and in for an and-one. Bane (10) and Franz Wagner (12) led the way for the Magic in the first quarter as they shot 53 percent. 

-Orlando got out to a quick 6-0 run to start, but some big threes from Jordan Clarkson helped cut the deficit in what was a back-and-forth quarter. The Knicks were up 66-64 at the half. The Knicks shot 61 percent through two quarters with Brunson doing most of the heavy lifting, scoring 23 in 18 minutes. Towns finally got on the board with six points in the second but he was a non-factor on the offensive end. Wagner led the Magic with 23 in his 17 minutes at the half, and no matter who was defending him, the Knicks had no answer. 

-Clarkson began the third quarter with the starters, but it was Towns who found his offensive game. The big man scored 11 points, thanks in large part to free throws. But the Magic found offense from everyone as the Knicks found themselves down five points after three quarters. 

The same was the case in the fourth as the Knicks had a hard time keeping up with the Magic, getting down by as many as 18 points in the final frame. After sitting out most of the third due to foul trouble and being ineffective against the athletic Magic forwards, head coach Mike Brown brought in his big man but it was more of the same as Wagner continued his torrid scoring. 

But it was the Knicks' defense that let this one get away. The Magic were shooting 77 percent halfway through the fourth quarter (finished 54 percent), and three starters had season highs for points with Wagner (37), Bane (27) and Jalen Suggs (26) leading the way for Orlando. With less than three minutes remaining, Brown emptied the bench down 12 points, putting a bow on the loss.

The Magic outrebounded the Knicks for most of the game until the benches cleared, but finished 11-9 on the offensive glass.

-With the injuries and foul trouble,Brownsearched for answers off the bench. He called on Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara at times, but he leaned heavily on Hart, Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.

Here's how the Knicks bench performed:

  • Hart: 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes (fouled out)
  • Clarkson: 15 points, two rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes
  • Diawara: zero points (0-3), two assists and one rebound in 10 minutes
  • Yabusele: Four points, one rebound in 13 minutes
  • Kolek: Eight points, one assist, two steals in 17 minutes

Even Ariel Hukporti came in for a play before halftime, before the benches were emptied. Pacome Dadiet came in for the final three minutes.

Game MVP: Franz Wagner

Could go to Bane, who did it on both sides of the ball, but Wagner was unstoppable and rendered Robinson unusable. Wagner finished with 37 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks will continue their road trip, heading across the river to take on the Nets on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Posted on

Cubs reportedly agree to 2-year contract with reliever Phil Maton

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs added Phil Maton to their bullpen on Friday, agreeing to a two-year contract with the veteran right-hander.

The deal includes a club option, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical.

Maton played for St. Louis and Texas last season, going 4-5 with a 2.79 ERA and five saves in 63 games. He was traded from the Cardinals to the Rangers on July 31.

The 32-year-old Maton could become the first of baseball's 175 XXB free agents to switch teams. All nine thus far have re-signed.

Chicago made the playoffs this year for the first time since 2020. The Cubs eliminated San Diego in the first round before losing to Milwaukee in a five-game NL Division Series.

Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar - three key relievers for Chicago this season - are free agents.

Maton was selected by San Diego in the 20th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of Louisiana Tech University. He made his big league debut with the Padres in 2017.

He is 23-20 with a 3.98 ERA in 478 major league games, also playing for Cleveland, Houston, Tampa Bay and the New York Mets.

Also Friday, Chicago offered 2026 contracts to left-hander Justin Steele and right-hander Javier Assad. The 30-year-old Steele, who went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 2023, is coming back from elbow surgery.

The Cubs non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire and right-hander Eli Morgan, making them free agents. McGuire, 30, batted .226 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in 45 games this year.

Posted on

Observations From Blues' 2-1 Win Vs. Islanders

Nobody said it would ever come easy, even though the St. Louis Blues looked like they were in firm control of their game against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon.

They were until the final four minutes when things really got nervy.

But in the end, the Blues got a much-needed win, their first in five games, by closing out the Islanders 2-1 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

The Blues (7-9-6) picked up their first win on a season-long five-game road trip but they have points in all three after ending a four-game skid (0-1-3).

Brayden Schenn and Pius Suter supplied the goals, and Jordan Binnington came up large with 30 saves, including 13 in the third period, to earn a much-needed win.

A look at Saturday’s observations:

* Binnington was tested when game mattered most and prevailed – Binnington was sharp through the first 50 minutes of the game making the necessary saves needed to churn out a road win, but his best came late when he outstretched the left toe and robbed Max Shabanov of a one-timer from the right circle with 5:21 remaining in the game to keep it a 2-0 game:

And it was important because not long after, with 3:20 left, Anders Lee won a net front battle with Cam Fowler to cut the Blues’ lead to 2-1.

But throughout the game when Binnington was making saves, he was confidently at the tops of the crease and killing pucks, not allowing rebounds and loose pucks to remain in play against a team that’s the best at scoring in and around the net. That was key.

And the goalie gloved Bo Horvat’s one-timer with 29 seconds left in regulation:

* It got dicey late – When Lee scored and made it a one-goal, the collective breath of Blues fans quietly had to be, ‘Here we go again.’

They’ve lost two-goal leads five different times this season and had another one here, and when the Islanders put the puck in the net with 2:06 left, it created some anxious moments, but referee TJ Luxmore immediately waved the goal off for goalie interference from Kyle Palmieri on Binnington.

However, Justin Faulk was called for a double-minor for high sticking while falling to the ice on Jonathan Drouin, so the Blues had to kill that game off playing 6-on-4. And let's give the penalty kill some credit here killing that off. It has now killed off 13 straight opponents' power plays going back to Nov. 5 against the Washington Capitals.

The Islanders got off four shots on the power play, and Pavel Buchnevich had two shot blocks in there that were key.

* Schenn, Buchnevich get going early – A line that was arguably the best on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers that just didn’t put the puck in the back of the net, two veterans that need to supply offense did just that early in this game.

Schenn’s goal 42 seconds into the first gave the Blues a 1-0 lead and was orchestrated beautifully.

It started with Philip Broberg’s outlet to Dalibor Dvorsky, who finds Buchnevich for a quick 2-on-1, he finds Schenn just inside the top of the right circle and his snap shot was labeled far side to Ilya Sorokin’s blocker:

The line’s Corsi-For/Against wasn’t as good as it was in Philadelphia (7-10) but continues to gain confidence playing with Dalibor Dvorsky, who picked up his first NHL assist on the Schenn goal.

* Broberg continues to excel – Broberg didn’t get an assist on the first goal, but he continues to grab huge minutes and turning into an effective shutdown defenseman playing alongside Colton Parayko.

For the fourth time in five games, Broberg saw over 26 minutes in a game, and set his own personal career-high 16 days after setting it against the Buffalo Sabres (27:09) when the defenseman played 27:58 in this game, including 25:04 at even strength.

Broberg, who was a plus-1 and had three hits and two blocked shots, was killing plays all afternoon.

The Islanders started flipping pucks trying to use speed into the Blues’ zone in the third period because Broberg and the others on the blue line did a nice job taking away the middle of the ice, so they thought they’d flip pucks in and use speed to try and gain an edge on the forecheck, but Broberg especially would have none of it.; he had no giveaways in this game, and for that amount of ice time, that is exceptional.

* Key late goal in a period which has been subpar, the second – For a change, the Blues won a second period and in essence, won them a hockey game.

They allowed a late second-period goal against the Flyers on Thursday to cut a 2-0 lead into 2-1, one in which they essentially lost 3-2 in overtime, but this time, it was Suter getting a big goal at 17:51 to extend it to a 2-0 lead.

Jordan Kyrou pulled a puck off the wall of a Faulk shot, found Dylan Holloway in the slot, who somehow got a shot to the net amid tight coverage, and there was Suter, as he often is, at the doorstep waiting for the rebound to scoop it over Sorokin:

The Holloway-Suter-Kyrou line did not have a good Corsi rating on Thursday, but that line was especially effective in this game with a Corsi-for of 15-3, a 13-2 Fenwick-for advantage and 9-1 shots for advantage that generated 13 scoring chances for and two against.

* Blues took away Islanders good ice – Despite the late push by the Islanders, I thought the Blues defensively as a whole did a solid job of not giving up the middle of the ice as a whole.

The Islanders have some fast options that can gain an edge if you give up the wrong part of the ice, but the Blues for the most part limited their high danger chances until late and did what they had to do to keep Binnington from being under duress.

They even got some good fortune when Tyler Tucker was at the net to keep a puck away from the goal after Binnington had lost sight of it in the first period:

All in all, it was a good effort by everyone. And I thought Fowler had a sneaky, good game with 19:45 ice time and a two blocks to go with a plus-1. He nearly scored on the Blues' lone power play when he was set up by Jimmy Snuggerud, who oh by the way, can we acknowledge this kid's passing ability as much as his shot? I think so.

Posted on

Penguins' Forward Hits Milestone

The Pittsburgh Penguins always seem to be hitting milestones, especially with all-time greats in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson on their team.

But some of their role players have milestones to celebrate as well. 

After appearing in the lineup against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, forward Blake Lizotte has skated in his 400th career NHL game. It marked his 80th game with the Penguins.

Lizotte, 27, went undrafted and signed an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings in 2019 after two seasons at St. Cloud State. He spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Kings before signing a two-year deal with the Penguins in the summer of 2024.

In his 400 games, the Penguins' fourth-line center has registered 51 goals and 130 points while being a solid defensive presence.

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

Posted on

Avalanche Lose Brindley Again as Injury Troubles Mount

The Colorado Avalanche received unwelcome news on Gavin Brindley, and it’s exactly what fans hoped to avoid. 

The 21-year-old phenom has been ruled out week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.

 

Brindley Suffers Another Injury 

Brindley was roughed up Thursday during Colorado’s 6–3 victory over the New York Rangers at Ball Arena. He left in the first period after being driven into the boards and landing awkwardly, then went straight to the dressing room. He attempted a brief return during second-period warmups but quickly retreated down the tunnel. Moments later, the Avalanche announced he would not return. Brindley has recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) in 18 games this season. 

This is Brindley’s second significant setback of the year. He previously missed time after sustaining a concussion on October 31 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

To fill the vacancy, Colorado recalled Jason Polin from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The 26-year-old made a strong impression during training camp and has produced a solid start in Loveland, notching six points (three goals, three assists) in 16 games. Given Brindley is expected to be out for an unknown amount time, we can expect more AHL players to fill the void. Tristen Nielsen is already doing that as the Avs are still without the services of Valerui Nichushkin, who is also rehabbing a lower body injury suffered against the Anaheim Ducks on November 11. 

The Avalanche (14-1-5) are in Nashville this evening to take on the Predators (6-10-4) at Bridgestone Arena. Coverage kicks off at 6 p.m. local time. 

Image

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.