Couturier leads Flyers' charge in home-opening win over Panthers

Couturier leads Flyers' charge in home-opening win over Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

With a good crowd behind them, the Flyers took down the Panthers, 5-2, in their home opener Monday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Sean Couturier, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink and Christian Dvorak scored goals for the Flyers, who improved to 1-1-1 with their first win.

Couturier’s second goal of the night was the game-winner with 4:10 minutes left in the third period. Trevor Zegras found him with a beautiful assist from behind the net.

The goals from Brink and Dvorak were empty-netters.

Rick Tocchet’s club handed the two-time defending champion Panthers (3-1-0) their first loss. Florida remained without injured forwards Aleksander Barkov (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin).

The Flyers are 1-1-0 against the Panthers with one more matchup to go. The clubs meet Nov. 26 back in Sunrise, Florida, where the Flyers opened the season last Thursday.

• What a difference in home openers for Couturier.

In last season’s home opener, the established center puzzlingly started the game on the fourth-line left wing.

In this season’s home opener, he had two goals and two assists.

The 32-year-old captain unleashed a huge pump of the fist after cushioning the Flyers’ lead to 2-0 with a breakaway goal in the middle stanza. Travis Konecny found him with an excellent pass.

Couturier was terrific all night.

• Dan Vladar converted 24 saves on 26 shots in his regular-season home debut with the Flyers.

He made some athletic and timely saves. In each of his two starts so far, he has given up only two goals.

Sam Reinhart cracked him late in the second period with a shorthanded goal, drawing the Panthers within 2-1 at second intermission.

Vladar fell on Sam Bennett’s game-tying power play goal about midway through the third period.

The Flyers’ penalty kill went 4 for 5.

Florida backup Daniil Tarasov stopped 17 of 20 shots.

• After being called up Sunday from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, Emil Andrae made his season debut in place of Egor Zamula.

The Flyers’ defensive depth is being challenged right now and Tocchet has been wanting more consistency from his bottom pair so he can better allocate minutes.

“We’re looking for somebody to make a statement on defense,” the head coach said after morning skate.

Andrae was real solid against the Panthers. The 23-year-old played with his confident puck-moving style. He was assigned to the Phantoms after playing in just two preseason games.

“Of course I was disappointed to get sent down, I didn’t play well enough to make the roster,” Andrae said after morning skate. “I just had the mindset to get back here. Go down to Lehigh, even if it takes one game or two months, I want to get back here. It’s my goal. Now I’ve got an opportunity and I’ve got to take it.”

The Flyers want to see Zamula improve his decision-making process with the puck. Former head coach John Tortorella always wanted Zamula to play with more pace.

“Yeah, I think there’s a little bit of validity to that,” Tocchet said after morning skate. “I think he gets the puck and he’s staring at his options. There’s 20 feet of space, I want him to get going. You don’t have to be the fastest player, but I think if you think faster, you look faster. That’s something he has to get better at.”

• Cam York missed a third straight game, but the top-pair defenseman took part in morning skate.

The 24-year-old has been considered day to day with a lower-body injury.

The Flyers have a couple of practices before their next game, giving York a good runway to potentially return this week.

“There is a possibility he could play Thursday,” Tocchet said after morning skate.

• The Flyers debuted their No. 1 jersey patch, which will be worn all season to honor the late Bernie Parent.

His No. 1, which hangs in the rafters here, will also be displayed on the ice behind each net.

The organization’s beloved former goalie, a Hockey Fall of Famer who led the Flyers to their back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, died Sept. 21 at the age of 80.

• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting the Jets on Thursday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Winnipeg won the Presidents’ Trophy last season, so it’s another early test for the Flyers.

Scalabrine: Josh Minott is fitting the bill of what Celtics will need

Scalabrine: Josh Minott is fitting the bill of what Celtics will need originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Josh Minott looks worthy of Brad Stevens’ investment.

The Boston Celtics newcomer, who signed a two-year contract worth $5 million this offseason, has impressed during three preseason games and looks like a capable depth piece entering the 2025-26 campaign.

A 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward, Minott earned some well-deserved praise from NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine after the Green claimed a win against the Cavaliers on Sunday. Minott took home his first Tommy Award following his 16-point performance off the bench.

“He plays hard every possession,” Scalabrine said after Boston’s 138-107 victory. “I love him operating out of the corner because he can knock down the corner three, he can drive out of it. His energy is infectious.”

Minott is averaging 12.3 points and shooting better than 50 percent from the field during the preseason slate. He’s added 6.3 rebounds on average and stuffed the stat sheet with a total of five steals and two blocks in three contests.

“He’s making things happen on both sides of the ball,” Scalabrine said. “That’s all the things that this team is going to need. Hard-playing guys that have a ton of confidence. Minott fits that bill.”

The 22-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he averaged 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in five minutes per game. He was a second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Minott has been tasked to be a disruptor on the defensive end all while head coach Joe Mazzulla is putting a clear emphasis on rebounding.

“I feel like defensive versatility, it starts with that,” Minott said of his game. “I feel like after that everything else is a plus. I’m just doing what Joe expects me to do, trying to muck up the game, make it harder on the opposing offense.”

When the regular season tips off, Minott might not receive the same 20-plus minutes he’s received during the preseason. The Celtics have some wing depth headlined by Jaylen Brown. Minott, though, could carve out an impactful every night role if he continues to play the same way he is now.

Takeaways: Nashville Predators Pick Up First Road Win, Down Senators 4-1

Oct 13, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens (24) and Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Perbix (48) track the puck following a save by goalie Juuse Saros (74) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

After getting three out of a possible four points in their two home games to open the season, the Nashville Predators took to the road to start a four-game road swing across Canada.

Their first stop was Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa Monday against the Senators in an early afternoon contest on Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

In the end, it was the Predators who gave thanks, coming away with a 4-1 victory to start the season 2-0-1 and notch their first road win. Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals including an empty-netter, while Ryan O'Reilly lit the lamp for the second time this season, and Cole Smith also got an empty-net tally.

The Preds started and finished strong, something that has been an issue for the team over the past year. Juuse Saros has looked unstoppable through three games, stopping 30 of 31 shots he faced on Monday.

After playing in the first two games, Brady Martin was a healthy scratch against the Senators. This is part of his development plan, according to head coach Andrew Brunette. He will most likely be back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Here are three takeaways from the Predators' victory.

The Predators Showed Intensity Early

Through much of last season and the first two games of this young campaign, the Predators have had a tendency to come out of the gate sluggish.

Against the Sens, they showed some intensity early in the first period and did a nice job forechecking, creating turnovers and passing the puck.

There were some lags, of course, including a 10-minutes span during the middle frame when the Predators failed to get off a shot.

Marchessault finally got the Predators on the board at 12:21 of the period for his first goal of the season. Michael Bunting and Erik Haula each picked up an assist.

It was difficult to get into a consistent flow in the first period, with 14 penalty minutes assessed between the two teams. But the Preds showed some signs of taking the game to their opponent right from the start, which is especially important on the road.

The real test will come when Nashville plays the second of a back-to-back Tuesday in Toronto.

Special Teams Are Once Again A Mixed Bag

Oct 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) checks put the ice against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Preds’ penalty-kill unit came into Monday perfect in five chances through the first two games of the season. Aside from one blemish that netted the Sens' only goal late in the third period, the PK was solid once again.

The unit was put to the test early against Ottawa, and successfully converted on three chances in the first period alone.

During a Sens power play for delay of game, Fedor Svechkov went to the sin bin for interference with 37 seconds left on the man advantage.

Roman Josi then went off for cross-checking Brady Tkachuk to put Ottawa in a 5-on-3. Cole Smith almost got a shorthanded tally for the Predators on a nice setup from Erik Haula at 5-on-4, but Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark denied him. Nashville got through the entire sequence successfully.

For the day, Nashville went 4-for-5 on the PK. Ridly Greig's power-play tally at 17:57 broke the perfect streak of 9-for-9 on the season.

It's a great start for a unit that finished seventh in the NHL at 81.5%.

The power play, however, continued to struggle. The Preds did not score on all six of their chances with the man advantage.

It wasn't for lack of trying. Filip Forsberg was robbed twice by Ullmark on two great scoring opportunities after a breakaway on the first power play.

Steven Stamkos had another chance on a later man advantage when Shane Pinto went off for holding Forsberg. Once again, Ullmark was up to the task.

Including Monday's game, the Predators power-play unit is 1-for-15 through three games. Fortunately, it hasn't hurt them to a great deal to this point, but that will certainly change over the long haul if it doesn't improve.

Goaltending Made A Difference Once Again

Coming into the season, there were questions about whether Juuse Saros could regain his form of 2023-24, when he posted a 2.86 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.

Through the first three games, the Finnish netminder has answered that question with a resounding YES. He has 88 saves on 93 shots faced, sporting a .945 save percentage.

On Monday, he stopped 30 of 31 shots and made numerous key saves, including one following O'Reilly's goal.

Along with that, the Preds defense has backed him up well, blocking shots and making the difference in the two victories.

Luka Doncic set to play in first preseason game against Suns Tuesday

El Segunda, CA, Monday, September 29, 2025 - Lakers forward Luka Doncic greets.
Lakers forward Luka Doncic greets head coach JJ Redick during media day at UCLA Health Training Center last month. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When Luka Doncic plays in his first exhibition game of the season for the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night, Coach JJ Redick said the plan with his star is pretty simple.

“Give him the ball,” Redick said, laughing.

Redick paused for a second.

“You talking about minutes?" he asked.

Redick said they are “still working through what that looks like” with the Lakers’ staff and Doncic’s team.

Read more:JJ Redick isn't overly concerned about the Lakers' on-court chemistry

“I think very likely it'll be some form of a ramp-up from tomorrow to whenever the second game is that he plays in,” Redick said. “What that looks like in terms of the total minute, I don't know."

But one thing is for certain when Doncic steps on the court with his teammates.

"Yeah, he'll touch the basketball,” Redick said.

The Lakers then play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in Las Vegas against the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic’s old team, but it’s highly unlikely he plays in that game.

The Lakers finish their preseason against the Sacramento Kings Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, which is when Doncic probably will play, especially since he said last week that he wanted to play in two preseason games.

The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors at home and that is the main thing Doncic is getting ready for.

He’s done more in practice, giving his teammates a view of what Doncic is like.

“Oh, he's moving great,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “Everything that I've seen from him, he's being vocal. He's leading the charge. He's being everything we need him to be right now. So, we're happy to have him out there right now during this week, him getting some good practices and running with us, and just starting to build that momentum towards the regular season.”

Etc.

Redick said Marcus Smart, who has been recovering from an Achilles tendinopathy injury, will play against the Suns. … Redick said Maxi Kleber (quad) participated in the Lakers’ stay-ready game Monday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Islanders fall to 0-3 on the season with 5-2 loss to Jets

ELMONT, N.Y. (AP) — Jonathan Toews recorded his first point in nearly two-and-a-half years on an assist, and the Winnipeg Jets had five different players score goals in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders on Monday.

Logan Stanley, Mark Scheifele, Nino Niederreiter, Morgan Barron and Tanner Pearson scored for the Jets.

Gustav Nyquist and Toews, who missed the past two seasons because of the effects of chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID, assisted Niederreiter’s power-play goal about halfway through the first period.

Emil Heineman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each scored for the Islanders.

Eric Comrie stopped 33 shots for the Jets. Ilya Sorokin had 21 saves for the Islanders, who went scoreless on five power plays.

The Islanders remain winless at 0-3-0, having allowed 13 goals to start the season. The Jets are 2-1-0.

Up next

Jets: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

Islanders: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

(10-13-25) Wild Reveal Starting Goaltender Vs Kings

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (1-1-0) is set to host the Los Angeles Kings (1-2-0) for a 7:00 tilt. Both teams have reveled the starting goaltenders for tonights matchup. 

Jesper Wallstedt will start for the Wild tonight. He will be making his sixth career start and first of the season. The Wild play the Dallas Stars in Dallas on Tuesday so Filip Gustavsson will get the second of the back-to-back.

"I think Wally's had a good summer physically and I think mentally prepared for the season," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Wallstedt. "I think he's had a good camp. I've seen the maturity in his game and the way that he practices, the intensity level, the details that he practices with, and then I think he's played well in the game. So he's ready. He's put the hard work in. He's always the guy that we expect to play well. So I'm excited to see him play tonight and he's certainly prepared to have a good outing."

It wasn't the best season for Wallstedt last year. He played in two NHL games and went 0-2-0 with a 4.09 goals-against average and a .843 save percentage. He went 9-14-5 in the AHL with the Iowa Wild last year and had a 3.59 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.

He has never faced the Kings in his career.

Darcy Kuemper will start tonight for the Kings. He started two of the three games against the Wild last year for the Kings and went 1-1-0 with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.

In 14 career starts against the Wild, Kuemper has gone 5-7-1 with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. He is 0-2-0 on the year with a 3.63 goals-against average and a .860 save percentage.

Kuemper is looking to bounce back tonight against his former team. He played 102 games with Minnesota across five seasons and was the Wild's 161st pick from the 2009 NHL Draft.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

Wild's Danila Yurov Set To Make NHL Debut TonightWild's Danila Yurov Set To Make NHL Debut TonightST. PAUL, Minn - A smiley Danila Yurov sat in his stall after Monday's morning skate next to Kirill Kaprizov as the media swarmed Yurov. It came 20 minutes after Wild head coach confirmed Yurov was making his NHL debut tonight.

- Wild Place Nico Sturm On Injured Reserve.

- Wild Sign Kirill Kaprizov To An Eight-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild Claim Defenseman Daemon Hunt Off Waivers.

- Wild Sign Filip Gustavsson To A Five-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild's Mats Zuccarello Out For Two Months With Lower-Body Injury.

Rick Tocchet Admits Matvei Michkov is Playing Catch-Up Due to Offseason Injury

(Photo: Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)

While Philadelphia Flyers phenom Matvei Michkov hasn't looked quite like himself to start his second season in the NHL, there is, at least, a reason for that, according to head coach Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet dubiously did not play Michkov, 20, for the Flyers' 3-on-3 overtime session against the Carolina Hurricanes, which ended in a loss after Bobby Brink's game-winning goal was wiped out by a controversial goaltender interference call against Travis Sanheim.

The Flyers' first-year head coach revealed after the loss that he was going with the players he "thought were skating," which obviously did not include Michkov.

There is a little bit more to it than that, though, as Tocchet revealed Monday.

"If we don’t have penalties, [Michkov is] probably getting 17 [minutes]. I think everyone's making an issue," Tocchet was quoted as saying by Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. "Secondly, he dealt with something this summer, something with an ankle that I didn’t even know about. I don’t think he could implement some of his training. So, he’s a little bit behind the eight ball when it comes to that. It’s something we’re going to correct. But I think he got behind the eight ball a little bit this summer coming into camp.

Flyers Defenseman Benched After Struggles, Agent's Criticism of TeamFlyers Defenseman Benched After Struggles, Agent's Criticism of TeamJust two games into the season, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula has already been benched for his continued struggles.

"He’s healthy. It wasn’t a major thing. Something that affected some of his training. We know we’ve got to work with him. That’s the best way to explain it.”

Michkov has played just over 28 total minutes for the Flyers this season through two losses, recording two shots on goal in Game 1 against Florida and zero in Game 2 against Carolina.

In both games, the Flyers' franchise player took a penalty, and in both games, Michkov didn't record a point.

All is not lost, though, as it's still early in the season, and it certainly sounds as though Michkov just doesn't have his conditioning and game legs yet.

The Flyers play four times in the next seven days, including Monday's home opener against Florida, so the uber-talented Russian should still have plenty of opportunities to figure things out and get going.

Fantasy Basketball 2025-26: Who to pair with Jokic, Wembanyama, Antetokounmpo

You can’t win your league in the first two rounds, but you can certainly set yourself up for success. Pairing two players that fit together is vital and will influence every pick for the rest of your draft in category leagues as you establish a build.

Using Yahoo ADP to determine the first 12 picks, I went through and drafted the best player to pair with them in round two. Since every draft will be different, I’ll also mention other options to consider, but the focus here will be on the best fit based on who is available, if all things go according to how I think they should.

Pick 12: G Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Pair with: F Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

The pairing may not have led to a championship for the Suns, but now that they’re no longer on the same team, they can make things work for you in fantasy. Booker should see a jump in production with Durant and Bradley Beal gone, and KD should help make up for any of Book’s inefficiencies. Both can provide well-rounded production while being among the league leaders in points, which gives you plenty of flexibility for the rest of your draft.

Other options: Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Tyrese Maxey

Pick 11: C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings

Pair with: G Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

While I’m not a huge fan of taking Sabonis in the first round, starting your team with him and Amen and leaning into punting three-pointers gives you a strong direction. Not many centers provide the rebounds and assists that Sabonis does, and this gives you a strong field goal percentage immediately. Thompson’s defensive production makes up for Sabonis’ lack of steals and blocks, and you’ll have to figure out the free throws in later rounds, but this gives you an elite start in three categories and strong production in a handful more.

Other options: Alperen Sengun, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams

Pick 10: G Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Pair with: G James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers

There aren’t many players that provide elite production in points, assists, free throws and threes like Young can. Of course, Harden is one of those players, and both have been able to provide at least one steal per game for a while, which helps. Both turn the ball over a ton and miss a ton of shots, which means it would be best to go ahead and punt those two categories; it probably isn’t worth your time to try and make up for those weaknesses. However, you can be dominant in a handful of categories.

Other options: Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, Stephen Curry

Pick 9: C Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Pair with: G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Under Mike Brown, Towns could take a hit in production if he spends more time playing alongside Mitchell Robinson, specifically on the glass. However, he’ll remain efficient and one of the best sources of three-pointers at the center spot. Add in the greatest shooter in league history, who is also able to provide value in a handful of other categories. Towns is a poor shot blocker for a center, so leaning into that as a punt build would be a good idea.

Other options: Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell

Pick 8: F Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks

Pair with: F Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

AD doesn’t hit many threes, but he’s elite elsewhere. Pairing him with Mobley, who is also a decent passer for a big, sets you up for a nice build if you’re willing to punt triples and free throw percentage. Pairing these two bigs gives you dominance on the glass and defensively without setting you back in points and assists, which is difficult to find early on in your draft.

Other options: Chet Holmgren, Amen Thompson, Jalen Johnson

Pick 7: G Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Pair with: G Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Cunningham enjoyed a breakout season last year, with his main weakness being turnovers. Insert Mitchell, who doesn’t turn the ball over quite as much, but still provides plenty of points, rebounds, assists and threes. Mitchell is coming off a down season, but his bounce back should fit nicely next to Cade. Checking points and assists off this early is a great start.

Other options: Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Williams, Tyrese Maxey

Pick 6: G Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Pair with: G Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

Edwards adds something new every season, and last year, he became one of the most prolific shooters in the league. He provided dominant value in points and threes and was still decent everywhere else, aside from field goal percentage. Combining him with Maxey works well; the 76ers guard had a poor field goal percentage as well, but he provided elite points, threes, assists and steals. Starting with these two guards is an elite pairing to begin your draft.

Other options: Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson

Pick 5: F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Pair with: F Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Everyone knows how dominant Giannis can be, and his limitations are obvious; he isn’t going to provide threes, and he’s going to miss a ton of free throws. Johnson, who has been a subpar shooter, isn’t reliant on those categories to be a monster in fantasy. Pairing Giannis, who should be more productive than ever this season without as much help, with Johnson, who appears to be ready to take yet another step forward, gives you a clear direction for the rest of your draft.

Other options: Amen Thompson, Paolo Banchero, Domantas Sabonis

Pick 4: G Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers

Pair with: C Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Doncic provides dominant points, rebounds, assists and threes. Sengun gives you a big man that helps in three of those four categories. Both are subpar free throw shooters and pretty average providers of defensive stats. Sengun fits like a glove next to Luka, and everything from this offseason indicates that the Houston center could take a massive leap forward this year.

Other options: Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, Kevin Durant

Pick 3: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Pair with: F Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

SGA and JDub are an excellent fit on the court for the Thunder, and the same can be said in fantasy basketball. Both are well-rounded, which gives you a lot of flexibility for the rest of your draft. SGA is obviously one of the best players in fantasy basketball, so adding a player that doesn’t take away from any of his strengths, such as shooting percentages and steals, just helps make him more valuable.

Other options: Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Johnson, Amen Thompson

Pick 2: C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Pair with: C Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Why not pair one unicorn with another? Starting with these two basically gives you a win in blocks every week, but they’re both dynamic enough to still provide value in other categories and not have a clear weakness early on in your draft. Of course, you can’t really go wrong with anyone when you start with Wemby, which is why he’s a consensus top-three pick. Holmgren’s hip injury last season really limited his production, but being healthy to start this season should help him bounce back.

Other options: Evan Mobley, Jalen Williams, Scottie Barnes

Pick 1: C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Pair with: F Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

You can’t go wrong when you start with Jokic. His well-rounded dominance allows you to build your team however you want. I’m not a huge fan of taking Banchero this early, but with a few of my other favorite options taken at this point, I think there’s a case to be made. Jokic makes up for Banchero’s shooting percentage limitations, and it leans into points, rebounds and assists, which are the strongest parts of Jokic’s game. But again, this one isn’t as strict; you can pair Jokic with anyone.

Other options: Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, really anyone

Toews Earns First Point with Winnipeg as Jets Beat Islanders

The Winnipeg Jets have strung together back-to-back wins for the first time in the 2025-26 NHL season. 

For the second-straight game, the Jets took to the ice in the afternoon, this time on the road in New York. Squaring off against the Islanders, Winnipeg pulled ahead early and really did not look back.

Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today

Jonathan Toews picked up his first point as a member of the Jets, while fellow newcomers Tanner Pearson, Gustav Nyquist and Cole Koepke also picked up their firsts with the Jets, as Winnipeg beat New York 5-2 on Thanksgiving Monday. 

Morgan Barron kept his hot streak alive, picking up his third point in as many games, as he scored his second of the season just 7:35 into the game. 

Nino Neiderreiter picked up another Jets power play goal a few minutes later, with Toews earning the secondary assist - his first point as a member of the Jets. 

The middle stanza saw four goals, with JG Pageau cutting Winnipeg's lead in half just two minutes into the game, as he became the first player to beat Eric Comrie in goal this season. 

But just one shift later, Winnipeg restored its two-goal lead, on none other than Logan Stanley's first goal of the season. Pearson joined the goal scoring party with his first as a Jet at the 13-minute mark. 

Emil Heineman answered back for the hosts before the period came to a close, but that was about all the Islanders could muster up on the night. The third period didn't result in much other than an empty net gaffe from New York.

Kyle Connor stripped the Islanders of the puck, fed Mark Scheifele, who found his third of the season into the empty net. 

Barron, Stanley, Niederreiter and Pearson each picked up two points in the affair, while five other players found the scoresheet. 

Comrie turned aside 33 of the 35 shots he faced, while Ilya Sorokin made 21 stops on the 25 pucks sent his way from Winnipeg. 

Next up for the Jets is the second stop of the road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday. That game is set to be played at 6:00 PM central time. It can be viewed live on TSN. 

MacKinnon’s Two Goals Lead Avalanche to 3-1 Win Over Sabre's

It wasn’t the prettiest of games for the Colorado Avalanche, but it's still early in the season, and there was still a lot of good to take away from the game. They were outshot heading into the third period, but took advantage of many Sabres mistakes to come out with the 3-1 win and the two points.

The Sabres came out much quicker than the Avalanche to start the period, with better passing, more shots on goal, and played with a much quicker pace. It was Nathan MacKinnon with a spin-o-rama backhand shot to open the scoring on the Avalanche’s first registered shot of the game. Jack Drury takes the first penalty of the game as he is called for tripping, but the Avalanche kills it off. Another penalty comes the Avalanche's way when a failed line change happens, and they are called for too many men; Ross Colton serves the penalty. 

The Avalanche gets its first power play of the game when Rasmus Dahlin is called for interference, but fails to capitalize on the opportunity. Tage Thompson ties the game when he sends a wrister from the blueline that beats a crowd in front of Scott Wedgwood and in, 1-1. Two minutes left in the period, Cale Makar is called for slashing, with the Sabres getting the remainder of the power play heading into the second period.

Nichushkin makes a great read intercepting Rasmus Dahlin’s pass and sets up Makar to take the lead 2-1 four minutes into the period. Makar draws a tripping penalty, but the Avalanche fail to score on the power play. Brent Burns powers through Alex Tuch but ends up tripping him, and is called for tripping. However, Tuch is also called for embellishment. Twenty seconds into the 4-on-4, Necas sets up a great drop pass to MacKinnon, who rifles one five-hole past Alex Lyon to make it 3-1, ending the second period.

MacKinnon once again makes a nifty pass to Necas and shoots it five-hole past Lyon to make it 4-1, but the Sabres challenge the play for offside, and it stands, reverting the goal and keeping it 3-1. Dahlin is called for interference, but the Sabres kill the penalty. A scary moment occurs when Bowen Byram accidentally slashes Brock Nelson’s hand and rushes down the tunnel; thankfully, he rejoins the game later in the period.

Connor Timmins is called for a delay of game, which was initially called a tipped out-of-bounds play. However, after review, it was determined that the call was against Timmins, and the Avalanche was unsuccessful on the power play for the fifth time. Although it won't matter as the game ends 3-1, the Avalanche wins.

The Avalanche are back in action for their brief two-game road trip on Thursday, Oct. 16, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Necas & Mackinnon’s 3-Point Effort Not Enough as Stars Beat the Avalanche 5-4Necas & Mackinnon’s 3-Point Effort Not Enough as Stars Beat the Avalanche 5-4Whenever the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars face off, it's going to be one hell of a game, and this one doesn't disappoint. After numerous lead changes and an eventful overtime, the Stars won 5-4 in the shootout. Insider Doubts Colorado Avalanche Will Hold Onto Martin NečasInsider Doubts Colorado Avalanche Will Hold Onto Martin NečasA big issue the Colorado Avalanche face this season is that Martin Necas and his expiring contract this summer set him up to be an unrestricted free agent. The Avalanche have been in this position before, last season, and their experience with trying to re-sign Mikko Rantanen ultimately led to trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes and acquiring Necas in a package deal. While Necas might not command the same extension price that Rantanen received from the Dallas Stars after being traded from the Hurricanes, an insider speculates that he would be “shocked” if the Avalanche agreed to extend Necas.

Beau Greaves stuns Luke Littler in PDC world youth championship thriller

  • Greaves edges out world champion 6-5 in semi-final

  • She will now face Gian van Veen in November finale

Beau Greaves won a thrilling last-leg decider to shock Luke Littler 6-5 in the semi-finals of the PDC world youth championship in Wigan.

Greaves, a three-time WDF women’s world champion who has secured a PDC Tour card for the 2026-27 season, had gone 2-1 up in the semi-final. Littler responded with the next three legs, the PDC world champion competing the day after defeating rival Luke Humphries 6-1 in the World Grand Prix final in Leicester.

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Panthers' Superstar Goaltender Named Third Star Of The Week

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been named the NHL's third star of the week.

The 37-year-old posted a 3-0-0 record with a .925 save percentage and a 1.67 goals against average. In the Panthers' first three games, Bobrovsky led them to wins over the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators

The Panthers are back in action today, beginning a five-game road trip, starting against the Flyers. Bobrovsky will get the night off, as off-season acquisition Daniil Tarasov will make his Panthers debut.

Per the NHL's press release:

"Bobrovsky went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .925 save percentage to lift the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers (3-0-0, 6 points) to a perfect start to their season. He made 17 saves in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 7, 19 stops in a 2-1 triumph versus the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 9 and 26 saves in a 6-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators Oct. 11. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky, who ascended to 10th place on the League’s all-time wins list last season, has a 432-243-57 record in 757 career NHL appearances (2.57 GAA, .914 SV%, 49 SO)."

Sergei Bobrovsky (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Finishing as the first star of the week was Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev. The 24-year-old notched five goals in three games, including a hat trick in the season opener.

Coming in as the second star was Senators center Shane Pinto. The 24-year-old recorded four goals and five points in two games, including a two-goal game against the Panthers on Saturday.