Owen Power leads the Sabres in defensive scoring with seven points
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Josh Doan
Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Jack Quinn
Jiri Kulich - Josh Norris - Konsta Helenius
Ryan McLeod - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Ex. Justin Danforth
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Zach Metsa
Olen Zellweger - Owen Power
Dennis Gilbert - Louis Crevier
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Notes
Buffalo has earned a win in two of its last three games against Montreal.
The Sabres have earned more wins against the Canadiens (138) than any other opponent in franchise history. Buffalo has converted on three of its last eight power-play opportunities (37.5 percent), including at least one power-play goal in each of the team’s last two games.
A power-play goal tonight would mark the first time the Sabres have earned a power-play goal streak of three or more games since Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, 2026 (six games).
Owen Power has posted seven points (1+6) in Buffalo’s first six games. A point in tonight’s game would make him the first Sabres defenseman since Rasmus Dahlin (Oct. 13 to 27, 2022; 5+4) to record eight or more points in their first seven games of a season. Power (26:07) ranks seventh in time on ice per game among all NHL skaters.
Tage Thompson has registered 23 points (12+11) in 20 career games against Montreal, including seven points (3+4) in his last three games against the Canadiens. An assist in today’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward to record an assist streak of four or more games against Montreal since Jack Eichel from Nov. 8, 2018 to Oct. 9, 2019 (3+7).
Josh Norris has totaled eight points (3+6) in his last eight games against the Canadiens.
Tonight’s game will mark his first regular-season game against Montreal as a member of the Sabres.
Jiri Kulich is riding a three-game point streak against the Canadiens (2+1).
Tonight’s game concludes Buffalo’s 1st of 14 back-to-back sets in 2026-27, which opened with a 5-3 win vs. Florida yesterday afternoon.
Tuesday is the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, meaning all 32 teams will be in action throughout the day. The NHL has done this for the last three seasons and is doing it again this year.
The Penguins will face a Blackhawks team that has really struggled to start the year. They are 1-5-0 and have been outscored 26-12 in those six games. Defenseman Bowen Byram has also been rough to start his Blackhawks tenure after they acquired him during the offseason.
However, they'll get major help on Tuesday, as star forward Connor Bedard returns from offseason shoulder surgery. He's their best player by far and finished the 2025-26 season with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.
Forward Anton Frondell has been their best player to start the season, compiling one goal and four points in six games. This is his first full NHL season after making his debut last year, and he already looks the part.
Goaltender Spencer Knight is expected to start in goal for the Blackhawks, and he's coming off a stellar 2025-26 campaign. He saved 10.9 goals above expected, good for 14th among all NHL goaltenders last year, and finished with a .902 save percentage. The fact that he put up those numbers on one of the league's worst defensive teams is staggering.
As for the Penguins, Sergei Murashov will start in goal after having the night off on Saturday. He's been electric in his first two starts this year, posting a .938 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.
Andrei Kuzmenko is expected to play after sitting out the previous two games. He'll likely start on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen.
Here's a look at the full expected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Defense
Carlile-Karlsson
Girard-Korczak
Stastney-Letang
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
DAYTON, OH - MAY 29: Myles Smith #11 of the Dayton Dragons gives high fives in the dugout after scoring during the game between the West Michigan Whitecaps and the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Grace Hoppel/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The 2026 regular season marked the fourth straight year that Major League Baseball has seen overall attendance rise. As Sports Business Journal noted at the end of September – coinciding with the end of the regular season itself – MLB teams averaged 29,601 fans per game through their 2,429 games, a mark that was up a half-percent year over year from 2025.
The Reds, though, saw their average attendance decline some 8.1% in one of the worst year over year declines, and at 24,589 per game they failed to top 2,000,000 million fans at all during 2026.
There are endless theories as to why the Reds stepped backwards. The obvious one is that they went from a team chasing a playoff spot (and eventually waltzing into it) to a team that collapsed early. There’s also the notion that ‘Reds Country’ is an expanse that depends upon the smaller metro areas an hour, two hours away that watch and listen and show up when the goings are good but ditch the idea of a six, or seven hour round trip to catch meaningless weekday games in August and September.
One place firmly entrenched within Reds country still perpetually finds a way to get in front of some incredibly sound baseball, however. Perhaps it’s the idea that the future of the Reds hasn’t yet been spoiled that draws them out on the regular, or perhaps it’s just that the minor league game that is played in their brilliant stadium is just simply a better overall product than what the Castellinis put on the field in Great American Ball Park year after year after year.
That, of course, is up the road in Dayton. Their Dragons drew in over 511,000 fans across the home slate of their regular season, and as Baseball America noted today that was the fourth most of any minor league club across the sport during the 2026 season.
The minor league baseball teams with the highest total home attendance in 2026 ⚾️
While that’s overly impressive in its own right, context is key here. Ranking in spots one through three on this list are all AAA clubs with significantly larger home stadiums, while only the Richmond Flying Squirrels (of the AA Eastern League and ranking seventh) join the Dragons as non-AAA clubs within the Top 10 in attendance overall.
And Richmond, you may recall, is a city that hosted AAA baseball for nearly 35 years before the Richmond Braves relocated to Gwinnett, Georgia.
It rarely matters how good the Dragons are to draw out their fans, either. Back in 2011 they famously broke the record for the most consecutive home game sellouts by a pro sports club y packing Day Air Ballpark for the 815th consecutive time, and the 2026 iteration of the Dragons only posted a 67-63 overall record. In other words, it’s not the winning that matters so much to the Dayton fans, it’s the baseball itself, especially since in the Midwest League they’re often viewing insanely talented prospects (such as Alfredo Duno for the first half of 2026) playing alongside and against 19 and 20 year olds who are about as un-finished as professionals as it gets.
Props to Dayton and Dragons fans for another year of incredible partnership. Maybe they can give the Reds themselves a few pointers!
District judge Ana Reyes halts tree-cutting at the East Potomac golf course until 26 October, and now requires advance notice before making course changes
US district judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday ordered a halt to tree-cutting at the East Potomac golf course until 26 October, putting a further pause on work at the historic Washington DC course that has been part of Donald Trump’s plans to remake the country’’s capital city.
Reyes issued the order one day after a tense three-hour hearing in which she harshly criticized the government for having deceived her with its actions over the holiday weekend.
With his return, he is slotted back into his usual spot, centering the second line between Easton Cowan and William Nylander. Nick Paul filled that void against the Avalanche, recording a couple of assists on the night.
At morning skate in Salt Lake City, Tavares also got his spot on the top power-play unit back as the net-front presence. When he was unavailable against Colorado, rookie Gavin McKenna took that spot and made an immediate impact, recording a primary assist on Toronto's first power-play goal from Nylander and making an impressive backcheck that sparked Auston Matthews' goal.
Despite not giving the 18-year-old a longer look with the top unit on the man advantage, Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller recognizes the effect that McKenna had with the team's superstars.
"Gavin did a good job, and you know, just like other situations in the game, Gavin will get put in and then pulled back a little bit," Hiller said after Tuesday's morning skate.
Given the early influence he had on the top unit on Saturday, questions have arisen about whether McKenna should remain on the top unit and Tavares should stick to the second unit upon his return.
"We're talking with John Tavares, it's a pretty easy decision to get John back in there," Hiller revealed. "He's had a great career. Still a great goal scorer. So that wasn't a hard one at all."
In five games played, Tavares has one goal and three points, including a point on the power play. McKenna has one goal and four points in six games this season, also with one power-play point to his name.
As a team, the Maple Leafs are tied for sixth in the NHL in power-play percentage, along with the New York Rangers. Toronto has executed at 26.3 percent, scoring five goals on 19 opportunities with the man advantage.
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Former Senators first-rounder Stefan Noesen is back in the NHL after being recalled by the New Jersey Devils on Monday. The news comes three days after clearing waivers and his surprising demotion to the minors.
The Devils recalled the 33-year-old winger from the AHL's Utica Comets after placing Connor Brown, another former Senator, on injured reserve. Noesen did not suit up against the Senators, who defeated the Devils 4-1 on Monday evening.
Steve Warne describes the Senators amped up commitment to defensive structure this season.
Noesen's demotion last week came as a surprise, considering he had spent the previous four seasons as a full-time NHL player. After appearing in New Jersey's first two games this season, Noesen was placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and was assigned to Utica on Friday.
His fortunes have changed considerably over the past two years.
In 2024-25, Noesen enjoyed the finest season of his NHL career, scoring 22 goals and collecting 41 points in 78 games with the Devils.
But injuries then derailed his 2025-26 season. After missing the start of the season with a groin injury, Noesen later underwent knee surgery and finished the year with just three goals and seven points in 38 games.
Despite never wearing the centurion crest, Noesen has an interesting connection to Sens’ history.
He was one of three players selected by the Senators in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, joining Mika Zibanejad (sixth overall) and Matt Puempel (24th overall). Noesen was selected 21st overall with the pick Ottawa acquired from Nashville in the Mike Fisher trade.
Noesen never played a regular-season game for the Senators because, in July 2013, they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the Bobby Ryan deal. That deal came shortly after longtime Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson departed for Detroit.
More than 13 years after that trade, Noesen is still trying to extend his NHL career, and Monday's recall gives him another chance to do just that.
On Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks made it official that Connor Bedard is returning. He will be in the lineup when they take the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the United Center on Tuesday night.
Bedard missed all of training camp, the preseason, and the first 6 regular-season games as he worked his way back from shoulder surgery. A lot of work was put in for him to return this quickly, as the July diagnosis had him coming back in mid-November.
To make room for Bedard on the roster, they had to send someone down to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Instead of putting someone on waivers and taking that type of chance, they sent Nick Lardis down.
Lardis was outstanding in camp and in the preseason, but it has been a tough six games for him. Playing a handful of games for the IceHogs could be good for him, if that's the route that they go. He already has experience scoring lots of goals down there, and it helped him have a strong showing when he was called up to the NHL last year.
When Frank Nazar returns from suspension, there will be even less room in the forward room, but they likely won't keep Dominic Toninato up long beyond that. They chose him over Lardis because Toninato can play center with Nazar out.
There is the possibility of more injuries to follow for others, and Lardis is at the top of the call-up list once again. If Lardis shows he is ready for a call-up before it becomes a necessity, the Blackhawks have proven that they won't hesitate, either.
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With his contract to manage the Houston Astros expiring at the end of this month, Joe Espada was granted permission by the club to interview with the Seattle Mariners for their open managerial position.
A baseball official with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Espada will interview with the Mariners. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Espada is still under contract.
Espada recently concluded his third season managing the Astros, leading them to a second American League West title in that span, even as they finished with an 81-81 record, the worst in major-league history for a division winner. The Astros' streak of eight consecutive playoff berths was broken in 2025; Espada was the club's bench coach or manager in seven of those seasons.
MLB.com first reported Espada was going to interview with Seattle.
The Mariners fired their manager, Dan Wilson, after a 76-86 season that fell well short of expectations after the club reached Game 7 of the AL championship series. Wilson's downfall arguably began then, as the club blew a 3-2 lead to the Toronto Blue Jays as Wilson made several questionable in-game decisions.
Espada's contract was set to expire along with Astros general manager Dana Brown's after this season. But Houston owner Jim Crane did not hesitate to fire Brown in August even as the club was fighting for the AL West title. Crane said then that Espada's status would be settled at season's end.
While Espada did guide the club to the postseason, the Astros' two-and-out performance against the visiting Chicago White Sox in the wild-card series certainly clouded his future.
Though switching managerial jobs within a division in one offseason is rare, it is hardly without precedent. Most notably, Craig Counsell jumped from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 12: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on prior to Game Two of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, October 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Bouncer up the middle. Betts to the bag – over to first! To beat the champ, you gotta knock ‘em out! The Dodgers stand tall and win back to back titles!
-Joe Davis, Rogers Centre, November 2, 2025
So go the best-laid plans of mice and men, as the Dodgers flop in Game 2 of the NLCS, going into a 0-2 hole.
From a game where everything went to plan except winning, to a game basically handwrapped for the taking before the bottom fell out in dispiriting fashion, using Davis’ iconic call, the Dodgers suffered the indignity of a standing eight count in the second round of this bout.
The team has had its figurative bell rung as it returns to its own corner for round 3. Now the Dodgers have to climb out of a hole they have largely dug for themselves.
The good news is that the last time to dig themselves out of a 0-2 LCS hole was the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays in last year’s ALCS. The bad news is that those Blue Jays were the gooberiest goobers to ever goober, which are adjectives that are so far away from this iteration of the Dodgers, they might as well be antonyms.
Still, stranger things have happened.
Plenty of ink will be spilled on the lack of performance from Shohei Ohtani, the one-man argument to bring full ABS to Major League Baseball by Will Smith, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto having his worst postseason start since his debut against the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS in 2024, and that will be done by others.
If Milwaukee had to have Game 1, the Dodgers needed Game 2, if only to keep themselves from now facing the specter of being eliminated in front of their home fans at Dodger Stadium.
The math is pretty simple
Respectfully, I disagree with Max Muncy’s assessment of the NLCS: yes, there is a lot of series left, provided that the Dodgers actually start playing better and winning.
The Dodgers need to win four of the next five games in order to have the opportunity to defend their title for a second time, either against Tampa or Cleveland.
The Dodgers need to win at least two of the next three home games in order to earn a trip back to Milwaukee to try and do something they haven’t done all year: win in Milwaukee without Adric present. And before anyone asks, no, I have zero desire or budget to revisit Milwaukee in 2026.
If the team fails at this first hurdle, the streak of teams other than the Dodgers celebrating a championship at Dodger Stadium will continue, as the 1963 champions were the only team to clinch at Dodger Stadium. Yes, the 2020 title would have been a clinch of a title at home, but alas, everyone was quarantined due to COVID, with the series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.
The last person to have this miserable a time in Milwaukee was David Vassegh in August 2022. As a fellow Slide Bro, I will now abstain from posting or linking to the footage you are now likely thinking of. Thankfully, no bones were broken this visit, as the Bernie’s Slide Experience is closed for the offseason.
There are no bad ideas right now, except standing pat
The Dodgers’ offense, regardless of how Mookie Betts would define it, has been a slog to watch this NLCS. Unless the plan is to stand pat and/or go down quietly, the time to brainstorm ideas and try to jumpstart a comeback is here.
The Brewers have turned the tables and taken the Dodgers’ best pitchers in stride. It’s not panic if things are actually growing dire. Speaking of dire, let’s address Shohei Ohtani’s contributions, or lack thereof, since Denver in August.
As a weird happenstance of history, as things have turned out, I have been present for Ohtani’s final regular-season home runs in 2025 and 2026. Neat.
The problem with the latter is that the final home run in ‘26 was on August 18th in Denver.
Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic broke the story that the Dodgers were debating sitting Ohtani for Game 3 of the NLCS, while providing the following analysis:
Still, given [Ohtani’s] poor performance and questionable health, the possibility of sitting Ohtani should be on the table. Ohtani spent roughly two weeks on the injured list with left knee and right biceps pain before the end of the regular season. Before the postseason began, he said that although he did not feel 100 percent, he felt better than he did before the IL stint and was optimistic he’d be able to play through his ailments.
“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” Ohtani said ahead of the NLDS, through team interpreter Will Ireton. “I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”
The Dodgers have given Ohtani plenty of leash to do just that but can no longer ignore the glaring hole in the heart of the order. With their season closing in, the Dodgers must consider all options. That includes sitting Ohtani.
[Emphasis added.]
While I am generally skeptical of swing analytics as a panacea when folks are struggling, there is a key difference between Ohtani and his teammate Will Smith, who has also been a non-factor offensively this October: Smith doesn’t look like he is in physical distress while batting.
No one is asking, mockingly or otherwise, whether Smith has forgotten how to play baseball. I don’t think Ohtani has forgotten; I just think he’s that hurt.
Yes, one might be tempted to think that Ohtani is one at-bat from going on a hot streak. I sure did.
In the first nine games of the postseason last year, Ohtani had a woeful slash line of .158/.273/.368 with 2 HR, 3B, 6 RBI, and 6 BB to 17 K, while being smothered by the Philadelphia Phillies’ gamut of left-handed pitchers.
Yes, Ohtani had the greatest postseason game ever in 2025 NLCS Game 4, and if one were to exclude it from last year’s tournament, he had a slash line of .275/.431/.575, 3 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 11 BB compared to 10 K.
Unlike last year, Ohtani was basically healthy but running out of gas on the mound. Here, I think the check on Ohtani’s injuries has finally come due and, if I were in a position to give counsel, it would be to not take a half measure when a full measure is due.
Ohtani didn’t roll his ankle or do something that can be mended in 24 hours. At this point, you either sit him in favor of either Josue De Paula or Teoscar Hernandez in the DH spot depending on the pitcher, or you openly ask him whether it is time to replace him on the roster, with Commissioner approval.
Here’s the problem. As of now, there is no World Series; there is only tomorrow and the next day. The day after that isn’t even guaranteed unless the Dodgers win a game in this series.
There is now a non-zero chance that Tarik Skubal has pitched his final game as a Dodger.
There is now a non-zero chance that Yoshinobu Yamamoto has pitched his final game of the year.
Win Game 3, and you guarantee another day with Skubal. Win two games, and you both guarantee another day with Yamamoto and a return trip to Milwaukee. Do otherwise and go into the long offseason wondering “what if?”
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 16: Braxton Fulford #37 of the Colorado Rockies looks on prior to the game between the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 44, Braxton Fulford (-0.3 rWAR)
Had the Colorado Rockies not signed free-agent (and left-handed bat) Brett Sullivan, Braxton Fulford probably would have had a very different 2026.
Not signing Sullivan might have resulted in Fulford spending much of 2026 as the Rockies’ backup catcher.
But that’s not what happened, and as a result, the 2021 Rockies draft pick spent the bulk of his season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Yes, Fulford was with the Rockies a bit too (more on that in a moment), but this was another year in which the Texas Tech alumnus did not make a significant developmental step.
First to his Triple-A numbers.
While with the Topes, Fulford had 201 plate appearances that resulted in a slashline of .251/.363/.468, including eight home runs and a 101 wRC+. That means that his hitting performance was slightly better than replacement level — in hitter-friendly Albuquerque.
He also caught 374.0 innings and had four errors. (He spent four innings at first base, which was not a significant part of his defensive portfolio.)
Granted, those are small sample-size numbers, but the early indications are that Fulford has failed to adjust to MLB pitching.
Defensively, Fulford caught 95.2 innings for the Rockies compared to 249.0 innings in 2025. He finished the MLB season with two errors, -2 DRS, and a FRV of -2 as well.
Here’s what Sam Bradfield wrote last year: “Overall in his rookie year, Fulford had a bumpy year. He showed flashes of brilliance, but also had incredibly cold stretches.”
That largely seemed unchanged in 2026, save that Fulford was given fewer opportunities to show what he could do given Brett Sullivan’s success.
The question, then, becomes what’s next.
At this point, it appears that Goodman will remain the starting catcher for the Rockies while Sullivan continues in his role as backup (with occasional stints on the mound).
There’s really no place in this equation for Fulford. It seems unlikely the Rockies will change anything given that Fulford remains under team control until 2032 and has one option remaining. Too, the front office probably is focused on Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP), Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP), and Jack Natili (No. 20 PuRP), the latter two being catchers they drafted in 2026.
Clearly, it’s too soon to count Fulford out. But in 2027, he will need to show he can be a big-league catcher.
Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar has a pretty good reason to miss a hockey game.
As first reported by Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, Makar will miss Tuesday night's game against the Dallas Stars as his wife, Tracy, has gone into labor and is expected to give birth at any moment to their twins.
According to The Denver Post's Corey Masisak, the Avs will move forward with 11 forwards and seven defenseman for the game.
Makar’s absence comes as the Avalanche defenseman continues another impressive start to the season, recording three goals and four assists for seven points through five games.
The 27-year-old is one of Colorado’s most important players, serving as the centerpiece of the team’s blue line and a major contributor offensively.
Cale Makar is going to be a father!
Makar married Tracy in 2024, and the couple is now preparing for a major milestone off the ice as they await the arrival of their child.
The news comes amid a major period for Makar, who recently agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Avalanche. The deal carries an average annual value of $20.4 million and is set to begin in the 2027-28 season, making Makar the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Makar has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensemen since making his NHL debut in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has won two Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy during Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run.
For now, the Avalanche will have to manage without their top defenseman while Makar focuses on his growing family. The team has not announced how long he could be unavailable or whether he will miss additional games.
With seven points already this season, Makar’s on-ice production will be difficult to replace, but Tuesday’s absence puts family first.
Given the Avalanche play the Stars again Wednesday evening at Ball Arena, there is a possibility he may not be available for that game, either.
Head Coach Jared Bednar informed reporters that they would take monitor Makar's status day-by-day.
Congratulations to the Makar family. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is at 6:30 pm. local time.
Richardson ‘disappointed’ to miss world championships
‘I understand the seriousness of what has been raised’
Matt Richardson has promised to cooperate with a British Cycling investigation into allegations of serious misconduct after he was withdrawn from this week’s World Track Cycling Championships in Shanghai.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Richardson said that he understood the seriousness of the allegations, which the Times reported were related to his behaviour to other riders, and promised that he would act with contrition to anyone that he had offended.
When fans tune in to an NBA Cup tournament game, the league wants them to instantly recognize something is different — this isn't just another regular-season NBA game.
One key way to do that: Distinctive, vibrant NBA Cup courts, and they are back this season.
These courts will be used for the group play, quarterfinals and semifinals of the NBA Cup (in a change this year, the semifinal games will be played on the higher-seeded team's home court, with the two teams in the Cup Finals traveling to the iconic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Butler Bulldogs, for that game).
This year's court design is inspired by Nike’s “End of Ordinary” NBA Standard Issue Collection, with the collection's designs extending onto the court. At center court is the team's logo as well as the NBA Cup trophy, and there are oversized "woodmarks" featuring the team's name in the style of the Nike Standard Collection jackets.
NBA Cup games will start on Oct. 30 and run on selected NBA Cup nights through Nov. 27. The 30 NBA teams have been drawn into three five-team groups within their conference, and each team will play at least four NBA Cup games against the others in its group. The winner of each group — with point differential as the tiebreaker — and one wild card team from each conference will enter an eight-team tournament (four East teams, four West) and play a single-elimination tournament to reach the NBA Cup Finals.
Last season, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup Finals, previewing what would happen in the NBA Finals in June. Whether we get another NBA Finals preview in the Cup remains to be seen, but we fans will know when the NBA Cup games hit, with these courts it will be hard to miss.
During this past off-season, Stuart Skinner's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins ended when he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets in free agency.
With the Penguins having multiple young goalies, it was not too surprising to see Skinner sign elsewhere this summer. Now, as the Connor Hellebuyck trade request drama continues, Skinner is impressing early on for the Jets.
In three games so far this season with the Jets, Skinner has a 2-0-1 record, a 2.62 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. With numbers like these, the former Penguins goalie has been a nice surprise for the Jets early on as Hellebuyck continues to sit out.
Skinner was also very good for the Jets in his most recent appearance on Oct. 7 against the Colorado. During the matchup, the former Penguins goalie stopped 32 out of his 34 shots. This was after he made 34 saves on 36 shots against the Detroit Red Wings in his previous appearance.
It will now be interesting to see if Skinner can keep this kind of play up for the Jets this season. If the former Penguins netminder does, Winnipeg could surprise a lot of people this campaign.
Skinner was acquired by the Penguins from the Edmonton Oilers last season. In 27 games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, he posted a 12-9-5 record, an .885 save percentage, and a 2.99 goals-against average.
Four-star shooting guard Devin Cleveland has narrowed his list of schools under consideration to three, a source told Rivals.
Moving forward, the 6-foot-3 rising senior out of La Lumiere School (IN) will consider Michigan, Missouri, and TCU. Cleveland will announce his college commitment on Friday, Oct. 16, and has visited each of his three finalists.
Cleveland, a Chicago native, is ranked as the No. 32 overall recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 5 ranked shooting guard, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, an average of all three major recruiting media companies (Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports).
In late July, Cleveland announced a top seven that also included Alabama, Arkansas, Marquette, and Syracuse.
More on Devin Cleveland
Playing on the EYBL Circuit this summer, Cleveland averaged 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for Brad Beal Elite.
“I feel like I’m a winner,” Cleveland previously told Rivals in an interview. “That’s what I’ve been trying to prove this EYBL season. You know, the past couple of years, I haven’t really had much success in winning games, so just coming over here with Bradley Beal, their identity is to win. So, I’m just trying to be a leader. I can score the basketball, and I’m a willing passer. I try to get my teammates involved every game.
“I watch a lot of Devin Booker, Jeremiah Fears, my brother Fred Cleveland, who is a pro overseason. Watching how they score the ball, create contact on the offensive end so I can draw fouls and little things like that.”
Cleveland also discussed what he’s looking for in a program.
“I’m going to be looking a lot at the fit. I want to play for a coach who believes in me and believes in my game, and that it will fit in with their system. Really, I just want to win. That’s all I want to do at the end of the day.”
