PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 1: Justin Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-5. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Don’t forget to turn back those clocks, folks. The Phillies probably wish they could turn back the clock to the days when they had the better offense.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Rece Hinds #62 of the Baltimore Orioles makes a catch during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Hailey Leonard/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are 143 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. Much sooner than that, only a month away, will be the start of the lockout that will leave the question of when the next game will happen in doubt for months afterwards.
For now, the baseball offseason is proceeding. It’s not exactly a normal offseason, because everyone knows that this month of November is all that there is going to be before things get weird for a while. What is normal is that all the usual offseason dates will be ticked off in the meantime.
We are currently in the “five days after the World Series” period where teams have exclusive rights to negotiate with their own departing free agents. It is unusual for big deals to be struck in this time period, but it does exist. The only Orioles free agent who might be worth something here is Trevor Rogers. My guess is that there’s not much talking going on because they already know he’s looking beyond the price range they’re willing to pay. Regardless, that period ends tomorrow.
Also tomorrow is the deadline for teams or players with contract options to decide whether or not to exercise them. We already know that Ryan Helsley opted in for next year, and that the Orioles declined an option for Zach Eflin. I expect before the deadline we will hear about team options declined for Ryan Mountcastle and Luis Robert Jr. as well.
With the exclusive window ending, teams will also decide who to extend a qualifying offer to. Again, that’s going to be Rogers and that’s it. When Mike Elias traded for Taylor Ward, I think he hoped Ward would play well enough to get a QO. Ward did not, and they traded him besides. Helsley’s signing may have been in this category also, hoping that the closer would pitch so well that he’d opt out and they could give him a QO – the same move they played with Tyler O’Neill a year earlier. It didn’t work for O’Neill and it didn’t work for Helsley.
One last bit of recordkeeping that awaits tomorrow: The 60-day injured list stops being available, meaning players who were on it must be placed back on the 40-man roster. The Orioles have five players who will have to come back onto the roster.
The team acted on Saturday to clear space on the 40-man, with a variety of moves announced. They officially declined the Robert option. They announced that the one of the 60-day guys, Colin Selby has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment. So has non-injured pitcher Codi Heuer. Two more players cleared waivers – José Barrero and Albert Suárez – though they had the option to take free agency rather than an assignment to Norfolk, and that’s what they did. These all leave the roster at 33 players. Plenty of room to add back the four guys remaining on the 60-day injured list.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Orioles re-sign Rece Hinds (MLB Trade Rumors) This is news from Friday, but it’s still relatively fresh and this is my first opportunity to rant about it, so here you go. This is a classic case of a Mike Elias galaxy brain where he thinks he’s doing something smart and it’s actually just a stupid waste of time. This article details how the “advantage” here is that this contract is to be for slightly more than whatever negotiated major league minimum comes out of the new CBA – literally $4,700 more – and therefore this makes it less likely that some other team will claim him if he is designated for assignment.
Here’s the thing. Why does it matter if the Orioles retain the rights to Rece Hinds? Did they not see enough of this player in the 12 games that he played for the team this past season? Was that not enough of a negative to convince them? Apparently not! They were the worse for having Hinds on the roster! He couldn’t hit for anything and he was bad at fielding too. They should have just called up Enrique Bradfield Jr. rather than try to reclaim this player who has never been good for any substantial length of time at the major league level. He should have been an easy 40-man roster cut right here to make room for players returning from the 60-day injured list, and instead they’ve gone out of their way to keep him.
True, yes, it’s almost certain that Elias does not intend for Hinds to remain on the 40-man roster for long. I’m not too worried about Hinds losing games for the 2027 Orioles. Just, what is the point? Why bother? Why jump through hoops to keep this guy?
Coby Mayo’s history of offseason improvement bodes well for the Orioles (The Baltimore Banner) Look, I want to believe in Mayo more than most people do, but like, he stunk until July. This idea of offseason improvement is not guaranteed to hit at the start of next season, whenever that ends up being.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1960, the first Oriole to win the Rookie of the Year award was announced, with shortstop Ron Hansen getting 22 of the 24 votes for the award. The other two votes went to teammates Chuck Estrada and Jim Gentile.
In 1979, the Orioles were sold to Edward Bennett Williams for $12.3 million. In today’s money, that’s around $55 million. David Rubenstein and partners purchased the team two years ago at a valuation of about $1.725 billion.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021 pitcher Eric Hanhold, 2012 infielder Steven Tolleson, 1993 pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, and 1955-57 outfielder Jim Pyburn.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Frankish king Louis the Stammerer (846), Revolutionary War admiral Toussaint-Guillame Picquet de la Motte (1720), baseball Hall of Famer Bid McPhee (1859), and actress Toni Collette (1962).
On this day in history…
In 1512, Michelangelo’s painting of the ceiling of Rome’s Sistine Chapel was first unveiled to the public after four years of work.
In 1765, the Parliament of Britain passed the Stamp Act, intended to raise additional taxes from the North American colonists. The colonists rather famously did not enjoy being taxed without having representation in the body.
In 1938, Baltimore’s own Pimlico race course played host to a match race between the previous year’s Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, and a lesser-known horse named Seabiscuit. The underdog triumphed in the head-to-head race.
In 1997, Titanic premiered at a Tokyo festival. Its wide release in the United States did not occur until December 19. The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie in history for the next 12 years and when adjusting for inflation is still the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind Gone with the Wind and Avatar.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 1. Have a safe Sunday. Don’t forget the clocks turned back!
How will Liverpool and Arsenal fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options
Five straight victories, including Wednesday’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Chelsea, give the impression that Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool are heading in the right direction. A win over the champions Sunday would certainly add to that sense.
Arsenal are winless in their last 13 Premier League visits to Anfield, a run that stretches all the way back to September 2012. With Bukayo Saka and William Saliba out and Declan Rice uncertain, the Gunners could be vulnerable.
The Islanders’ misfortunes were self-inflicted, Pete DeBoer said, but perhaps exacerbated by fatigue concluding a busy travel-heavy week. [Isles | Newsday | Post]
This a deep biomechanical (and even psychological) dive into what might be keeping Mat Barzal out. [Reconditioning Hub]
Isaiah George was recalled from Hamilton with Ryan Pulock out. [Isles]
The Wild are trying to put Max Shabanov in a position to succeed. [Athletic]
The Oilers did not like that knee-on-knee against Isaac Howard that got Emil Heineman tossed. [TSN]
Elsewhere
The Lightning say Nikita Kucherov is committed to being there this season, and they have zero intention of trading him. [Post | Sportsnet]
His teammates say all that is Kucherov’s business. [NHL]
And his former teammates in Toronto are wondering what’s up with all this. [Sportsnet]
Elliotte Friedman, who broke the Kucherov news, also says Dylan Larkin might further alter his 22-team no trade list. [Sportsnet]
Jeremy Roenick likes Keith Tkachuk and says he should be a Hall of Famer. I’m unmoved by the HOF case, but it is true he took care of trainers and staff, and he’s clearly taught his sons to do the same. [NHL]
Tkachuk did play an old-school game, and was just the 13th American to be drafted out of high school in the first round. [NHL]
General Manager of the Yankees, Brian Cashman watches batting practice. Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Alds Game 4 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: The Yankees decided not to renew the contracts of Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean. The longtime executives had been working as special assistants to general manager Brian Cashman. Sabean of course spent decades with the Giants and helped build San Francisco’s World Series teams in the 2010’s, though he actually got his start in baseball as a scout with the Yankees back in the ‘80s. Minaya had stints as the GM for the Expos and Mets. Both had been working in Cashman’s office since 2023.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: At the outset of 2026, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. weren’t necessarily expected to play huge roles for the Yankees in the big leagues. By the end of the year, however, both were key starters, and the Yankees are looking for big things from the duo next season. “That’s something as an organization that we’ve tried to address over the last few years,” Aaron Boone said. “In ’24 when we went to the World Series, we were a little more one-dimensional, but really good at that one dimension. I think we’ve gotten more athletic over the last couple of years.” Players like Jones and Lombard do bring an added element of speed and defense (theoretically, in Jones’ case), but at the end of the day the quality of their production, rather than the shape of that production, will be the key to what roles they play for the 2027 Yankees.
FanGraphs | Matt Martell: Only tangentially Yankees-related, but here Martell contextualizes the dominant postseason run Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby just submitted. By Win Probability Added, Ashby’s 2026 playoff performance was the most consequential by a reliever in MLB history, narrowly edging out a great Yankees reliever from the dynasty era. That’s right, now in second place is John Wetteland, whose 1996 playoff run previously held the record for highest playoff WPA from a reliever. In third through fifth place, you’ll find the name you were expecting, as Mariano Rivera’s 2003, 2000, and 1999 postseasons round out the top five.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives for two against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Frost Bank Center on October 31: 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs delivered the tricks and took home the treat on Halloween, earning a 121–111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, sending the fans home with smiles on their faces and candy in their bellies.
The victory is the fourth straight for San Antonio, who started the season 0-2 after losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson informed reporters before the game that guard Stephon Castle was suffering from a migraine and was a game-time decision. He would eventually be in the starting lineup and play 22 minutes.
San Antonio opened the game with one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season, holding the Timberwolves to 37 percent shooting in the first quarter. At one point in the period, the Spurs led 11-2, but the Timberwolves went on an 11-0 run to briefly take a one-point lead. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for 19 of the Spurs’ 34 points.
“We want to just try to make sure we can get the best shot in every possession, and that’s never going to happen,” Coach Johnson said after the game. “But I think if you just constantly keep that at the front of your brain and at the at the forefront of the conversation, and if everybody, for the most part, over time is putting their energy into that, you’ll land in a pretty good spot.”
Wembanayama knew he needed to be more aggressive and he acted like it. From the opening tip, he was calling for Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle to lob him the ball. He scored 24 points in the first half (43 points for the game), including throwing the ball to himself off the glass for a dunk that got the crowd on its feet and had Minnesota head coach Chris Finch asking for a timeout.
“He’s just so dominant,” Harper said of Wembanyama. “I feel like he goes out there and when he puts his imprint on the game, he’s unstoppable, and he did that tonight from the jump to end of the game. So I mean, hey, I was okay with him taking those shots. Those are all good looks, and my biggest thing with him is just if you’re gonna take the shot, take it, be confident.”
San Antonio went up double digits, but turnovers allowed the Timberwolves to get back into the game, turning the deficit for Minnesota into a one-point lead at halftime. The Spurs committed four their 15 turnovers in the second quarter.
With Minnesota missing stars Anthony Edwards, Rudy Golbert, and Donte DiVincenzo, Finch relied on newly acquired guard LaMelo Ball. The new Minnesota guard saw himself in foul trouble, racking up four personal fouls in the first half. He would eventually foul out of the game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The final quarter saw the Spurs turn it on, leaving no doubt on which team would go home with the treat of a win on Halloween. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 28-23 in the period, led by Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox. The sophomore guard finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he got aggressive with Wemby on the bench to begin the period.
“I love games like this,” Harper said after the game. “I love games where the other team starts talking first because when you respond, it’s not your fault when you talk.. the competitive nature that the Timberwolves brought kind of brings the best out of us. And obviously, when a team’s that competitive, it brings the best out of me.”
De’Aaron Fox had a solid outing, including hitting key shots when Minnesota threatened to come back. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; crediting Wembanyama for making everyone better.
“His gravity is like Steph (Curry),” Fox said. “If he rolls to the basket, he’s going to have two or three defenders. To use that gravity, makes it easier for the rest of us.”
Game Notes
Luke Kornet had a strong outing after a string of poor games. He finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Carter Bryant came off the bench and hit two threes. He played with confidence and that’s a welcome sign.
San Antonio will need to cut back on the turnovers, but they made up for it with solid defense in the final two quarters.
Julian Champaignie had 12 points off the bench, going 3-f0r-7 from beyond the arc.
Coach Johnson said pregame that the team will not rush Tobias Harris back to the court amid all the gruesome injury news around the league over the past week. I’d expect it to be a few weeks until he makes his debut.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after the Lakers made a basket against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 30, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Austin Reaves is never one to duck the blame or shift the focus to something else. When he’s bad, he’ll admit he’s bad. And on Friday, he was bad.
Reaves turned the ball over eight times, shot 9-19 from the field and had a plus-minus of -13, worst among the starters. He was not the sole reason the team blew a 25-point first half lead to the Warriors and lost by double digits, but when you get the superstar contract, you also get the superstar treatment in losses.
Debating just how much blame he deserved is irrelevant as Reaves was as brutally honest about his game as anyone else would have been.
“I was terrible again. That’s it.”
Harsh, but fair.
When Luka Dončić was on the floor, the Lakers were great, though mostly because of him. When he sat, the Lakers were bad, with Reaves at the center of it.
If you were looking for an excuse, the fact that those non-Luka groups consist of many players who joined the team this offseason is a fair one. Those units are looking for chemistry, but when asked if that’s legitimate rationale for their struggles, Austin wasn’t interested in any excuses.
“It’s real, but that doesn’t give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,” he said. “And that starts with me. I’ll watch the film and try to be better. But you have to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. As I said, I have to be better to start that.”
Austin has modeled his career around constant improvement, so there’s little doubt this is just another hurdle he’ll have to climb. Even if he’s run second units without Luka before, they’ve often come flanked by LeBron James. This is a new challenge and teams have him one rung higher on the scouting report now.
The word is out that the way to disrupt Austin is to throw doubles at him on ball screens and try to overwhelm him physically into a turnover. That’s the punch defenses are throwing and now it’s time for Austin to throw a counterpunch.
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 31: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche battles for the puck against Morgan Frost #16 of the Calgary Flames during the first period at Ball Arena on October 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It was a night where there were more treats than tricks as the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Calgary Flames on Halloween night. The game began well after the candy was handed out but Colorado tasted the sweet 5-2 victory at the end of the night. Artturi Lehkonen continued his hot streak with two goals and Cale Makar finished with four assists.
The Game
To start this game, the Avalanche generated many shots but no goals until Nathan MacKinnon broke through with just over five minutes remaining in the first period. A rebound found it’s way right to MacKinnon in his favorite spot on the left side and he nailed the post and it bounced into the net behind Arsenii Sergeev making his second career NHL start for the Flames. Calgary got a few good looks on Mackenzie Blackwood but he shut the door especially on Matt Coronato by making a sprawling save with eight seconds to go to preserve the 1-0 lead.
On this Halloween night things got scary as the Avalanche received a power play early in the second period. As the first unit remained on the ice for nearly the full duration, Martin Nečas finally scored from the left circle and continued his hot streak of scoring on Halloween.
Martin Necas can add to his Halloween point total tomorrow when the @Avalanche host the @NHLFlames, who have the League’s best points percentage on Oct. 31 (.833 P%). 🎃 #HockeyHalloween
Minutes later, Arturri Lehkonen continued his own hot streak scoring his 11th goal on the season and Brock Nelson soon after. At that point the game entered garbage time as the clock began approaching midnight both on the evening and this game. Calgary tried to make it interesting when Joel Farabee made a spin move at the net front and finally got on the board to make it 4-1. Nothing much else happened in the period except for Brock Nelson got hit in the head on a Cale Makar shot but he returned to the bench by the start of the third period.
Speaking of the final frame, Colorado was feeling generous when a Brent Burns turnover behind the net led to a Martin Pospisil goal. Two minutes later, however, the Avalanche got it back as a Cale Makar shot was deflected by Lehkonen for his 12th goal of the season. Not much else happened other than Fedor Svechkov got chopped in the face and had to leave the ice for repairs and the Avalanche got a four-minute power play but they couldn’t cash in. Therefore the 5-2 score stood at the final horn and Colorado secured their victory.
Takeaways
Lehkonen is on pace for 72 goals this season after scoring his 12th in 14 games. Never mind that it’s on 28 shots on goal or what the ramifications of this will be but the Avalanche will take a hot streak to help them in the standings right now.
The four points he generated tonight is a sesson-high for Cale Makar. His high mark previous to this was a three-point effort when the Avalanche visited the Flames earlier in the month. That’s nearly half of the 15 points Makar has on the year courtesy of Calgary. The Avalanche don’t see the Flames again until April so Cale will have to find a new favorite team to play against.
Upcoming
The start of another quick road trip featuring a back-to-back. The fun begins on Monday, November 2nd at the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. MT.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers (4-2) have another back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors (3-2) on Sunday. The purple and gold will be at home for these next two games.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
When: 6 p.m. PT, Nov. 1
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday will certainly be in the running for one of their worst defeats this season. When it comes to games like this, the best thing to do is take note of what went wrong and delete the tape, especially after that first quarter.
Three things went wrong for the purple and gold in that game. For starters, they struggled mightily whenever Luka Dončić was on the bench. Second, they committed a season-high 20 turnovers, with Austin Reaves accounting for eight. Lastly, the Warriors simply played harder and smarter than the Lakers.
So now, how does Los Angeles respond to their worst loss of the young season thus far? We’ll know when they take on a very good Raptors team on Sunday.
The Raptors enter this game having the third-best defense in the league. They won’t have Kawhi Leonard, but they have capable scorers like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. They may look like the same Raptors team the Lakers have faced over the years, but make no mistake, this group has developed and is better than ever.
As a defensive-first team, these Raptors ranked second in steals and are an above-average transition team, so the Lakers really have to take care of the ball in this one. Toronto will also attempt to expose the Lakers’ weakness in rebounding, knowing they now rank dead last in the league in rebounds per game. The Lakers can’t be outworked once again if they want to win this game.
LA has to force the Raptors to execute in the half court, where their offense is less reliable. It would be nice to see a better performance from Reaves and Walker Kessler who has been quite mediocre for his standards over the last couple of games. Reaves and Dončić will face a lot of ball pressure and physicality, so they’ll have to counter with their ability to manipulate the defense and control the game’s pace.
After suffering their first loss of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers wasted no time responding, coming out firing and cruising past the L.A. Clippers the following day. Now, the Lakers have another opportunity to bounce back from their worst loss of the young season. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond and what adjustments they make moving forward.
Let’s see if they can execute better and more importantly, get back on the winning column against the Raptors on Sunday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) is no longer listed
However, Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) remains out and Ziaire Williams (left foot injury management) is questionable.
As for the Raptors, Leonard (left knee injury management) won’t be ready to go while Nate Bittle (right avulsion fracture) is out.
The Calgary Flames couldn’t carry their momentum from Friday night’s win into Colorado, falling 5-2 to the Avalanche on Saturday night.
Calgary was coming off a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken and had won six of its previous eight games heading into the second half of a back-to-back.
Recently recalled goaltender Arsenii Sergeev got the start between the pipes for the Flames, but faced an early deficit against one of the league’s top offensive teams.
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Colorado opened the scoring at the 14:13 mark of the first period. After picking up a loose puck in the high slot, Nathan MacKinnon fired a shot upstairs past Sergeev to make it 1-0.
The Avalanche added to their lead early in the second period on the power play. At 2:37, MacKinnon sent the puck to former Flame Nazem Kadri, who found Martin Necas with a perfect cross-seam pass. Necas made no mistake, beating Sergeev with a one-timer to make it 2-0.
Just over three minutes later, Colorado struck again. Cale Makar dangled around a Flames defender before sliding the puck to Artturi Lehkonen, who quickly fired it past Sergeev to extend the lead to 3-0.
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Avalanche weren’t finished. On a two-on-one rush, Gabriel Landeskog flipped a pass across to Brock Nelson, who chipped the puck out of the air and into the net to give Colorado a commanding 4-0 advantage.
Calgary finally got on the board before the end of the second period. Mikael Backlund won a battle along the boards and sent the puck out to Joel Farabee. Farabee kicked it to his stick before sliding a shot past Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 4-1.
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Flames carried some momentum into the third period, with Martin Pospisil cutting the deficit to two early in the frame.
After a strong forecheck and a turnover forced on Ryan Strome, Pospisil found himself with the puck in front of the net and buried his opportunity past Blackwood to make it 4-2.
However, any hopes of a Calgary comeback were quickly answered by Colorado.
Moments later, Makar sent a shot toward the net that Lehkonen redirected past Sergeev for his second goal of the night, restoring the Avalanche’s three-goal lead at 5-2.
Three Takeaways
1. Farabee continues to deliver offensively
Joel Farabee has been one of Calgary’s most productive forwards lately. His goal against Colorado gives him 12 points in his last seven games, with five goals and seven assists during that stretch. He’s providing consistent offence and becoming an important part of the Flames’ attack.
2. Calgary connections make an impact for Colorado
There were a couple of familiar connections on the Avalanche scoresheet. Calgary-born defenceman Cale Makar recorded four assists, while Nazem Kadri added an assist against his former team. Both played important roles in Colorado’s offensive performance.
3. Frost closing in on career milestone
Morgan Frost is now just one point away from reaching 200 career NHL points. The Flames forward is approaching another personal milestone as he continues to establish himself in Calgary’s lineup.
Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov did his part in his first game after telling his teammates he had requested a trade from the team he led to two championships.
The NHL's reigning MVP set up the first three Lightning goals for a 3-2 lead against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, Oct. 31. Nashville, however, rallied to win the game 5-4 in a shootout.
"He's going to play hard and we can't look into the future," teammate Brayden Point told reporters. "Right now, he's a Bolt."
When NHL insider Pierre LeBrun wondered on social media whether Kucherov eventually would sit out to pressure the team, agent Dan Milstein replied, "Unlikely."
Kucherov is the final year of a contract that has a $9.5 million cap hit. After some negotiations for an extension, the Lightning were informed that he wouldn't re-sign with the team and wanted to be traded. According to puckpedia.com, he has a modified trade clause in which he submits 10 teams.
General manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement on Oct. 30 that the Lightning "unequivocally" have no intention to trade the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
What Lightning said about Nikita Kucherov's trade request
Lightning captain Victor Hedman: "It was a tough day."
Point: "That's his business. He's my teammate. He's my friend. That's how I'll treat him."
Lightning defenseman John Carlson: "I think it was surprising to everyone."
He added that the trade request wasn't a distraction.
"Once you get on the ice, there's only so many things you can worry about," he said. "I think we're focused on what I can do on the ice."
Jon Cooper on the Nikita Kucherov situation: "I will sit here and tell you nothing has changed in what our goals are this year just, maybe, the context of how it is going to go about. Kuch is 100% a part of this team. He wants to be a part of this team for this season and he is…
Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Kucherov's night: “He's a proud Bolt and he came in tonight to help us win a hockey game as he’s done his whole career here and he gave us a hell of a chance. It's too bad we couldn't pull that one out."
Kucherov did not talk to media after the game.
Dylan Larkin trade request update
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said he believes that Larkin's camp could make revisions to his current 10-team trade list.
"I think over the next 24-48 hours it's possible we see that trade list altered."
Emil Heineman (51) of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Dallas.
And now the Islanders will hold their breath, hoping there is no hearing and subsequent suspension for Emil Heineman following his knee-on-knee hit to Isaac Howard that got him kicked out of Saturday’s match just 2:22 into the proceedings.
Though the Islanders did have a fair gripe that the hit was not initially whistled on the ice, the penalty itself was textbook. It was the second time in as many games that the Islanders lost a player in the opening minutes after Ryan Pulock exited Thursday’s win in Minnesota with injury, but this time, the Islanders never found an offensive rhythm in a 4-0 defeat to the Oilers at UBS Arena.
“I was surprised it was upheld as a major, yeah,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “But again, I haven’t looked at it that closely.”
Emil Heineman (51) of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Dallas. NHLI via Getty Images
Heineman didn’t speak in the dressing room postgame — the Islanders, and most other teams, generally don’t have players speak after they get tossed from games — and his teammates mostly said variations of what DeBoer did.
“We haven’t had a chance to really see the hit,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Obviously we hope the other guy’s all right. I know there’s no intention behind that. Heiny’s someone that plays hard and he’s always clean. To start like that, it’s obviously hard to create some momentum, but I thought we did a good job killing [the major penalty].”
The good news is that Howard, who left the game and did not return, might be all right, per Oilers coach Mike Babcock.
“We don’t think, Howard, it’s as serious as it looked,” Babcock said. “We’re hoping for a real good kind of recovery day for him tomorrow, and if he doesn’t [feel better], then we’ll get on with the medical part of looking into it. But they think it’s favorable.”
The bad news for the Islanders is that in addition to losing Heineman for essentially all of Saturday’s game, there is not an obvious replacement should he be suspended for Thursday’s match against Carolina.
Emil Heineman (51) of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
They are carrying just 12 healthy forwards on their roster, and the group in AHL Hamilton is nearly as battered as the one in the NHL. Liam Foudy could be in line for a spot call-up, but none of the forward prospects — Quinn Finley, Cole Eiserman, Daniil Prokhorov — are believed to be ready.
Otherwise, the Islanders’ injuries are status quo, with Matias Maccelli (lower body) skating, Calum Ritchie (lower body) yet to begin skating and Mathew Barzal (left kneecap inflammation) still skating, but without any timeline.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 30: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates his three-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter of the NBA Cup game at Target Center on October 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the 127-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On the eighth anniversary of Derrick Rose’s 50 point game, your Minnesota Timberwolves fell victim to a Halloween monster performance by alien Victor Wembanyama, losing to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 121-111.
With this being a second night of a set of back-to-back games and playing without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (back spasms), many fans may have expected tonight’s result.
What they may not have expected, however, was the amount of fight the Wolves had in them even if it was not enough for the victory.
Encouraging Signs from Joan Beringer
A performance I really want to highlight was that of Joan Beringer. Starting tonight in place of Rudy Gobert, Joan poured in 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and committed five fouls in 34 minutes of play.
On paper, his French counterpart completely eviscerated him, with Wemby scoring an otherworldly 43 points on 17-34 shooting.
Looks like Wemby dominated him, right? It did feel like that at times, because Victor is such a freak. Every time Wemby came at Joan with something ridiculous, Joan just kept battling.
It was amazing growth to see, because at age 34 Rudy Gobert is going to miss games. Joan Beringer needs to be effective in those games, and although the stats didn’t show it tonight, he was able to hold his own.
Ayo Continues His Steady Play
Ayo Dosunmu continues to fill in admirably in the absence of Anthony Edwards, scoring 27 points on 11-15 shooting, splashing two threes, and even grabbing nine boards.
These types of performances are exactly why he was paid all that money to come back.
His speed in the open floor is outrageous, his willingness to defend, and his overall tenacity is exactly what this team will need come playoff time, but they need it even more now that Ant remains sidelined.
Tough Night for ‘Melo
Unfortunately, LaMelo Ball had a rough night. He had just 10 points, 2/10 shooting overall, and didn’t make a three. He spent much of the game on the bench due to foul trouble, and even fouled out at the end of the game when the Wolves were attempting to make a final push at victory.
It’s becoming a pattern now where LaMelo puts himself in these disadvantageous situations and it’s not something the Wolves can afford, especially on a back-to-back in San Antonio. He looks sped up, can’t find any rhythm with his shot, and is playing with his hands too much on the defensive end.
You maybe can get away with a performance like this against the NBA’s cellar dwellers, but not against the reigning Western Conference champions.
Moving forward, I would like to see LaMelo get himself going by attacking the paint and maybe getting to the free throw line or making easy dump offs for his teammates. Finding a rhythm isn’t just about making shots, it’s about finding your place in an offense on game in,, game out basis. The shots will start falling, just not if you force the issue too much.
Jonathan Kuminga Making Plays
Among the positives, Jonathan Kuminga I thought had a really nice game. He logged 40 minutes, which was good to see after only 22 last night, scoring 19 points, hitting two threes, and really helping defend the powerhouse San Antonio guards on the perimeter. Performances like these are why people keep falling in love with this man’s game. It wasn’t totally flashy, either, save for this dunk on Victor Wembanyama.
For some reason, I feel like we’re on borrowed time with Kuminga. It’s his reputation, based on his last two stops. Chris Finch is really good at defining roles for his players, and if this is the Jonathan Kuminga we’re going to see more often than not then I’m all for it.
Lackluster Bench Night
Bench wise, there wasn’t really a ton of note that happened tonight. The presumed sixth and seventh men were starting tonight, so Finch only went nine deep.
Outside of some Jaylen Clark made threes, there wasn’t a ton of production. TJ Shannon had a game he’d like to forget, making only one field goal and failing to draw iron on a couple threes. Trey Lyles made some nice plays, but also looked lost at times.
I was a little shocked that we didn’t see Cody Williams tonight. Without a true center coming off the bench, he’s someone with some size that I thought he could go throw his body around and battle among the tree that is Wemby.
Another head scratcher was the lack of Bones Hyland out there. With LaMelo down in foul trouble early, he came into the game and got six pretty quick points, but wasn’t really effective in his second stint and we didn’t really see him again. That could be a product of Ayo having a nice night, but it seemed as if he could’ve helped settle the offense down and there were times tonight where that was sorely needed.
Uneven Officiating
One last quick thing before we flush this one and move on to the next game: The way this team gets officiated is mind-boggling at times. I’m not saying that the majority of the fouls that were called on Minnesota tonight were bad calls, but a lot of the touchy calls that they get called on them don’t seem to go the other way when they happen to the Timberwolves.
Case in point, there was a sequence when Joan Beringer made an effort play on Victor Wembanyama to get a putback and keep the game tight and got a foul for going over the back of Wembanyama.
It’s totally fine if that’s the level of contact the officials want to whistle for. The ensuing possession down the floor, Wemby gets quite physical with Beringer in order to make himself available down low (a level of physicality you wouldn’t know Wemby had if you watched him drive to the hoop, just saying) and there was nothing called as Wemby almost put Joan in the rim. Add that on to the lack of calls Anthony Edwards gets going to the hole, and it creates a discrepancy that the Wolves should take issue with.
Final Thoughts
All in all, there were plenty of positives to take away from tonight’s game in San Antonio. The Timberwolves fought valiantly to keep themselves in the game, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Game Highlights
Up Next
Your Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action on Monday, November 2nd, when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00pm CT. That game will be streaming on DAZN-MIN for in-market fans, and on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 16: Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown looks on before Game Two of the Championship Series against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on October 16, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dana Brown is reportedly returning to the Braves’ organization and the Alex Anthopoulos front office. Brown was a big part of the draft side of things for a while and highly respected in that role before joining the Astros as their top executive. His stint in Houston was a mixed bag and seemingly filled with owner meddling. He now rejoins the Braves on the amateur scouting side once again. I have heard a mixed bag of stories about Brown from the Braves’ prospect community, but clearly smart people in the Braves’ front office and around baseball value him highly enough to put him in important spots, so it seems like a good thing to add someone like that back into the fold.
