The Los Angeles Kings have had their struggles this season, but they always seem to save their best for the Ottawa Senators.
But on Thursday night, they nearly let a sure victory slip through their fingers.
Quinton Byfield scored in overtime to give the Kings a 6-5 victory, rescuing Los Angeles from a stunning collapse after the Senators scored four unanswered goals in the third period to erase a 5-1 deficit.
It was shaping up to be a disastrous evening for the Senators.
After giving up four unanswered goals in the second period, they trailed 5-1 with less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation. They had gone an incredible 25 minutes without registering a shot on goal and were down to just nine forwards.
But instead of folding up shop, the Senators somehow found another gear, scoring four straight goals to force overtime and salvage a valuable point from a game that appeared hopelessly out of reach.
Dylan Cozens led the comeback with two goals and an assist, while Drake Batherson had a goal and two helpers.
The rally began at 7:18 of the third period when Cozens scored his second goal of the season.
Just 33 seconds later, Batherson ripped one in off the crossbar to make it 5-3, suddenly giving the Senators some hope.
The comeback continued at 12:34 when Cozens scored his second of the night on the power play, poking the puck home to pull the Senators within one.
And with time running out, Shane Pinto completed the comeback. With just 1:40 remaining in regulation, Pinto redirected a hard pass from Batherson to tie the game at 5.
Somehow, a blowout had turned into a thriller.
Yes, Byfield's overtime winner denied the Senators the extra point, but it couldn't erase what they had accomplished in the final 13 minutes of regulation.
The overtime loss extended the Kings' unbeaten streak against the Senators to 13 games (10-0-3). It also marked the first time this season that the Sens have lost consecutive games, though not in regulation.
The game started well enough for the Senators, who opened the scoring on a goal by Tyler Kleven. The young defenceman jumped into the play and buried a rebound off a Fabian Zetterlund shot to give the Senators a 1-0 lead.
But things went downhill quickly from there.
After a questionable interference penalty against Artem Zub, the Kings took advantage on a deflection by Erik Haula. Corey Perry was perfectly positioned in front of Jonas Johansson, screening the Senators goaltender on the tying goal.
Perry seemed to be in the middle of everything the Kings did offensively.
Trevor Moore gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead before Mikey Anderson scored from distance to make it 3-1, once again with Perry providing the screen in front.
By that point, the Senators were completely flat-footed. They eventually went 25 straight minutes without registering a shot on goal, and things only got worse when Joel Armia spun and fired a shot past Johansson to make it 4-1.
That ended Johansson's evening. After getting the start for a third consecutive game, the Belleville call-up was pulled in favour of Sam Ersson.
But the goaltending change did little to immediately spark the Sens.
Artemi Panarin ripped a shot off the post and in to give Los Angeles a commanding 5-1 lead. Once again, Perry was screening the Senators goaltender.
The Senators were also running out of healthy bodies.
Hayden Hodgson was assessed a five-minute major and ejected for a hit on Brandt Clarke. Andre Burakovsky left the game with a lower-body injury, while Nick Cousins was handed a misconduct, leaving the Senators to try and stage their come back with just nine available forwards.
With a four-goal deficit, a depleted forward group and virtually no offensive momentum, there was little reason to believe the Senators had a comeback in them. There were probably a lot of fans back home in Ottawa who opted for sleep over what seemed to be a beatdown.
But the Sens somehow turned what was shaping up to be their worst performance of the season into what will go down as one of their most memorable comebacks.
There will certainly be plenty for Travis Green and his coaching staff to address after an awful second period and that long, ugly stretch where the Senators could barely generate a shot.
But considering where they stood midway through the third period, that point must feel an awful lot like a victory.
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues felt the results would change if they stuck with their process and identity.
It didn’t happen Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, but on Thursday against one of the league’s hottest teams in the Boston Bruins, at least for one night, fortunes changed.
Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg each had a goal and two assists, and the Blues ended a two-game scoring drought in a 4-1 win against the Bruins at Enterprise Center to conclude an arduous five-game homestand against some of the top teams at 3-2-0.
“That’s one of the hottest teams in the League,” Thomas said of the Bruins. “I thought we played them really well all game. It feels great.”
Blues coach Jim Montgomery added, “What we want to take away from it is 3-2, but we probably should have been 4-1, and we played the elite in the League. All five teams that came in here. … We played really good teams, we matched up well and three of the last four games playing to what I believe is our identity. You can see the process starting to come and that we’re playing real good hockey. In three of those games, we outplayed really good hockey teams.”
The Blues (6-6-1) also got power-play goals from Jimmy Snuggerud and Jake Neighbours, and Joel Hofer, despite some risky but standard – for him – plays, was rock solid in goal with 31 saves, including 14 in the third period.
About the game …
* Stick with the process – Those that felt the doom and gloom of losing via shutout on Tuesday for the second straight game, 2-0, weren’t feeling the same way as the coaches and players felt, and they felt other than the score, which obviously matters, the parts to the game were played the right way and if they stuck to that similar process, the results would eventually follow.
The Blues pumped 46 shots and 80 attempts at Jacob Fowler on Tuesday but couldn’t solve the Canadiens goalie. They were able to beat the quality of a Jeremy Swayman on Thursday with four goals on 18 shots, and they broke their goal drought at 139:38.
“Montreal, I thought we played a strong game,” Snuggerud said. “I thought we honestly did tonight. Shots didn’t necessarily show that, but I thought we competed hard and brought the energy.
“… The message was this is the NHL and you’re going to face some really good goaltenders. I thought Fowler was really good a couple nights ago and that happens, but just stick with our game of how we finished in the third against Montreal and I thought we brought it tonight.”
* Getting two key power-play goals and quickly – The Blues were down 1-0 in the game on a James Hagens goal, and with the Bruins, who fell to 9-4-1, having been on a 7-0-1 run prior to their 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, they were looking at a great challenge having to come back.
But using their special teams offensively fueled a turnaround, and it started with a set play off the face-off with Thomas winning a draw, Broberg attacking the middle of the ice and feeding Snuggerud for a one-timer to tie the game 1-1 at 15:43 of the first period:
Power play goal for St. Louis!
Scored by Jimmy Snuggerud with 04:17 left in the 1st. Assisted by Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas.
“It’s a play we’ve been working on,” Snuggerud said. “I think the puck kind of ended up in a really good spot where he was able to sink down and kind of find me on that one-timer there. I didn’t get a hold of it really well, but fortunately it went in.”
The key was winning the face-off, which Thomas did.
“Great vision by ‘Broby,’” Thomas said. “We talked about attacking a little bit more. He came flying off the wall and made two great plays. Especially scoring really early on the power play I feel like gives your team a lot of momentum. It was really good.
“There’s a lot of things going on. ‘Jakey’ jumping off the wall. ‘MacT’ creating the space. Their winger comes flying out and he’s getting in the lane and getting to the net. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on that isn’t really noticed. But they make the play happen.”
Then there’s the put-away goal that Neighbours scored to make it 4-1 at 12:42 of the third period off another face-off win by Thomas, Broberg driving the middle of the ice, shooting it, Neighbours knocking it down and backhanding the puck past Swayman:
Power play goal for St. Louis!
Scored by Jake Neighbours with 07:18 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas.
“’Tommer’ was great on face-offs tonight and the intensity of the guys helping, 83 and 63 on the line, allowed us to win it back, and 6 and 21 on the second goal was just real good net conversion which is something that Vinny Prospal’s been harping on since the beginning of the year and that’s the best we’ve executed,” Montgomery said. “Obviously the goals went in, that’s nice. Big momentum swings for us.”
Snuggerud added, “’Broby’ brings that energy and that shooting mentality, which is nice to have, especially with different guys in front of the net there. It’s nice. Jakey’s really good there. It was a nice tip and a nice play. I think kind of emphasizing scoring within the first 5-10 seconds of the power play. I thought we executed that tonight.”
With Broberg and Adam Jiricek manning the points on the power play, the Blues were 2-for-3 and 25.7 percent on the season, good for sixth in the NHL.
“I thought it was a shooting mentality,” Broberg said. “Take it to the net. It was nice to see those two goals go in.
“Usually if you win the face-off, you get a little advantage. You try to take advantage of it. I think we made two good plays there. You just want to keep building on that.”
* Line changes pay dividends – Despite playing well Tuesday, the bottom line is the Blues didn’t score for a second straight game, and the coaching staff wanted a different, fresh look.
Montgomery played Neighbours with Thomas and Snuggerud, moved Pavel Buchnevich with Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren and flanked Dalibor Dvorsky with Dylan Holloway and Connor McMichael.
“Obviously we get shut out twice in a row. You’ve got to kind of switch some things up, but I think over the lats couple games, we started playing consistently the same way,” Thomas said. “It was nice to get rewarded tonight from that.”
That top line needed a boost and Neighbours provided a different perspective.
“They’re both such skilled players. Jake and ‘Holly’ both work hard, extremely hard in the corners,” Snuggerud said. “They’re both very smart hockey players. It’s fun to be able to play with them both in different scenarios.”
And the results as far as the coaches were concerned?
“I thought our work ratio together, people playing off each other was quicker and faster, especially on the forecheck,” Montgomery said. “I thought Jake Neighbours did a really good job of bringing some net front presence and below the tops, grinding it out on that line. I thought that the Dvorsky line had a lot of intelligent shifts for us, which was nice to see and I thought the (Pius) Suter line had a great game. I matched them up a lot against whenever (David) Pastrnak was on the ice and they did a really good job for us which enables me to free up our offensive lines against other lines.”
* Broberg continues to impact games – Broberg continues to impact the game at both ends of the ice and Thursday was no exception.
Along with the three-point game, he played 25:55 and affected the game with his speed and ability to jump into the offense after being a part of the group that had good defensive sticks breaking up plays.
“Anyone who can attack the middle of the ice, it creates all the offense (and) it opens everything up, especially from a defenseman,” Thomas said of Broberg. “The more they can get in the middle, and he obviously skates really well. He creates a lot of time and space for everyone out there. It’s great to see his confidence just grow and grow every game, especially shooting the puck and really attacking that middle. It takes some confidence to walk the blue line like that to make moves up there. He’s only going to get better. It’s really exciting for all of us to watch.”
Broberg’s fastest speed recorded this season has been 24.26 on Oct. 17 against the Nashville Predators, and his confidence with the puck continues to rise.
Just look at the goal he scored at 5:17 of the second period to make it a 2-1 game when he jumped into the play and took advantage of McMichael’s pass from behind the net to the high slot after a really good keep along the wall from Holloway:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Philip Broberg with 14:43 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Connor McMichael and Dylan Holloway.
“I try to join the rush with my speed and my skating and help the team offensively and get back on ‘D,’” Broberg said. “You see open space and ‘Mikey’ made a great play there finding me. It was nice to see it go in.”
* Stick play was essential – Early in the game, Boston was taking advantage of the Blues going through the neutral zone and executing breakouts.
As the game wore on, you could see responsible sticks breaking up plays and turning the puck back the other way.
“There’s a lot of guys that had good sticks tonight,” Thomas said. “Super-important, especially through the neutral zone and on the track. You can create a lot off it by breaking up plays. I think a lot of guys did a good job of that.”
It was essential in the second period when the Blues took the game over on the scoreboard. It led directly to Thomas’ goal that made it 3-1 at 12:08:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Robert Thomas with 07:52 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Justin Barron.
“Our sticks were really good, especially the second period,” Montgomery said. “I thought that was a clinic in how we need to play defensively. In all three zones but neutral zone was really important because we thought the first 10 minutes, they were picking us apart in the neutral zone and we were disjointed. Forwards weren’t holding the red line, which made defensemen back off and that’s why they can go east-west on us and they can make some high-end plays in the first 10.”
* Thomas has a really good shot, use it more – We’ve always felt like pass-first Thomas has a really nice shot and it was on display on his second goal this season when he was looking to shoot and realized the time and space he had from the blue line in after Justin Barron got him the puck.
“It was nice,” Thomas said. “I haven’t shot the puck a lot lately, so it was nice to get in a good area and rip it. Nice to see one go in. … I was looking pass, but I just kind of (kept) skating and kept skating and eventually I shot it.”
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LOS ANGLES (AP) — Quinton Byfield scored at 3:37 of overtime and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Ottawa Senators 6-5 on Thursday night after blowing a four-goal lead in the third period.
Byfield beat goalie Samuel Ersson with a snap shot from the high slot, with Drew Doughty picking up his third assist of the night on the play.
Erik Haula tied it for Los Angeles on a first-period power play and Trevor Moore, Mikey Anderson, Joel Armia and Artemi Panarin scored in the second to make it 5-1. Panarin capped the run on a power play after Ottawa's Hayden Hodgson was tossed for boarding defenseman Brandt Clarke.
Clarke missed the rest of the game because of an upper-body injury.
Ottawa roared back in the third, with Shane Pinto tying it at 5 with 1:40 left and Ersson off for an extra attacker.
Dylan Cozens scored twice in the period and Drake Batherson also connected. Cozens and Batherson struck in a 33-second span, and Cozens cut it to a goal with 7:26 remaining. Tyler Kleven opened the scoring for Ottawa in the first period.
Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves for Los Angeles.
Jonas Johansson stopped 12 of 16 shots before giving way to Ersson in the second. Ersson made 20 saves on 22 shots.
The Golden State Warriors seem to have landed a gem with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Yaxel Lendeborg has put his name among some of the greatest rookies of all-time with his first-week performance.
After an 0-3 start, the Warriors have won back-to-back games and Lendeborg has filled his role tremendously.
Yes, he's playing alongside a guy named Stephen Curry, who's been unstoppable the past two games − his 44-point night following a perfect shooting night. Still, Curry can't do it alone and with injuries to Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, Golden State needs players to step up. Lendeborg has so far.
The 24-year-old rookie has averaged 22.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over his first five games.
His performances include 31 points in the Warriors' first win of the season, which came on the road against the Denver Nuggets. He added 12 rebounds and six assists. He shot 9-of-19.
He's continued to adapt to the NBA game, staying aggressive and getting easy opportunities at the free throw line. The rookie finished 12-of-13 from the charity stripe against Denver.
Lendeborg joined Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and O'Neal as the only players in the draft lottery era (since 1985) to put up at least 85 points and 35 rebounds in their first four career games.
He scored 87 points in his first four career games, which is second-most for a player in Warriors history behind Wilt Chamberlain. Lendeborg is ahead of Joe Fulks (78 points in 1946-47); Paul Arizin (73 points in 1950-51); Rick Barry (71 points in 1965-66); and Chris Webber (68 points in 1993-94).
Lendeborg is still a rookie and he gets nervous out there, especially playing with Curry and Draymond Green, who have won four NBA championships together and understand what winning looks like.
Curry shot a perfect 8-for-8, scoring 24 points in their win against the Nuggets, but it was Lendeborg who led the team in scoring that night. Lendeborg is continually gaining confidence because the team leaders are encouraging it from him.
"Steph and Draymond's confidence for me," Lendeborg said after their win against the Nuggets. "After the game in Hawaii, where I think I had, like, three points, and only took three shots, I asked them just for some guidance, some advice, and they told me to just, you know, try to be confident, be aggressive, and play through mistakes. I'm gonna be in that position to do that."
The advice worked.
"Just hearing that from those two guys, I was coming into the game timid, like, I don't want to mess up what they got going on," Lendeborg said. "They pretty much just gave me free roam. So they helped me out, and from then, I just vowed to be a little more aggressive in each night."
In their 119-114 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 28, Curry scored a season-high 44 points. Lendeborg was the team's secondary option with 26 points and nine rebounds. He had seven turnovers but that's a part of the opportunity for growth that Curry and Green told him about.
"I was telling (Luka) he sucks. He can’t score on me,” Lendeborg said after the game. “You talk and you can’t score on me. I said it the whole game."
Lendeborg said he "lost all respect" for Dončić after the game because the Lakers superstar was complaining to the officials for calls. Dončić scored 28 points on 7-for-18 shooting from the field and added eight rebounds and seven assists.
"It's about him complaining the entire game. And then you get foul call. Congratulations, bro," Lendeborg said. "And then you talk to me, like you did something great, bro. Come on, now. It kind of threw me off for a little while, 'cause, you know, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone."
Lendeborg gets his next opportunity Friday, as the Warriors look to win their third consecutive game and get back .500 on the season as they host the Lakers at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET.
The Vancouver Canucks looked like they might have put together one of their strongest team efforts after 40 minutes against the San Jose Sharks tonight, but three consecutive goals for the Sharks resulted in Vancouver ultimately suffering a 3–2 loss. Drew O’Connor and Liam Öhgren scored the goals for the Canucks, while Leevi Meriläinen stopped 21 of 24 shots faced.
Vancouver faced a brief scare early in the first period when Brock Boeser blocked a shot with what appeared to be the inside of his foot. After sitting on the bench for a little after, the forward went down the tunnel and to the Canucks’ dressing room. Öhgren took Boeser’s place on a power play soon after, though Boeser returned towards the end of the period and played out the remainder of the game.
Is Elias Pettersson back? That’s been one of the biggest topics of debate since the start of the season. Pettersson’s assist on O’Connor’s game-opening goal seems to have given many the belief that he may be back. The play started with Pettersson carrying the puck along the boards, chipping it and retrieving it after it bounced off Sharks defenceman Dmitry Orlov. He then pulled it between his skates while facing pressure from two different players to keep it in the zone before flinging it on net. O’Connor fetched the rebound and tucked it past Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.
The second period saw Vancouver take and kill two penalties, maintain a solid presence both offensively and defensively, and even double-up their lead thanks to a sharp snipe for Öhgren. This frame also featured a three-minute shift for defenceman Tom Willander during a sequence that saw San Jose press a little harder than they had through the majority of the game.
Vancouver has struggled significantly in the shifts following a goal allowed, and despite their strong effort tonight, this once again proved to be the case. Will Smith scored on a Sharks power play during the third period to give San Jose their first goal of the night. After that goal, Vancouver didn’t quite look the same as they did throughout the bulk of the game beforehand. San Jose was able to leverage that momentum into a sequence of strong O-zone time that left the Canucks without the same strengths they’d exhibited during the first and second periods of the game.
Because of that momentum, San Jose was able to tie the game at two goals apiece, once again thanks to a goal by Smith. Yet again, the shift after surrendering a goal did the Canucks in, as the Sharks found the back of the net 11 seconds later to take a 3–2 lead. The shifts following San Jose’s third goal saw Vancouver look nothing like how they did for the majority of the game — scrambly, disjointed, and chaotic. A two-minute 6-on-4 advantage near the end of the game couldn’t even give Vancouver a game-tying goal.
While Vancouver did surrender a two-goal lead and ultimately lost by a score of 3–2, by no means was this a bad game for a rebuilding team that is still learning in the early stages of their season. Before the three consecutive Sharks goals, the Canucks demonstrated a strong sense of confidence. It was clear Vancouver’s players were more eager to test out new things or try bolder plays than they have been as of late — from Pettersson’s stickhandling, to Öhgren’s hefty shot on Askarov, to Meriläinen’s steady saves after facing scoring chance after scoring chance for the Sharks while shorthanded.
All in all, tonight’s game served as a good learning lesson for the Canucks. While they put together a very strong 40-minute effort, they were unable to seal the win in the final 20, once again suffering a downhill-slide in the shifts following a goal surrendered.
Stats and Facts:
Elias Pettersson extends his current point streak to six straight games
Filip Chytil plays the second-most minutes of all Canucks skaters with 22:13
Marco Rossi and Max Sasson each log a 75% faceoff win percentage
Liam Öhgren scores in back-to-back games for the first time in his NHL career
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
13:21 - VAN: Drew O’Connor (2) from Elias Pettersson
2nd Period:
18:56 - VAN: Liam Öhgren (4) from Filip Hronek
3rd Period:
8:00 - SJ: Will Smith (5) from Dmitry Orlov and Mason Marchment (PPG)
10:39 - SJ: Will Smith (6) from Macklin Celebrini and Michael Kesselring
10:50 - SJ: Mason Marchment (4) from Kiefer Sherwood and Nolan Allan
Up Next:
Vancouver Canucks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, October 31, 4:00 pm PT
Oct 29, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Drew O'Connor (18) shoots during the first period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
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PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 29: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 29, 2026 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Getting a triple-double is not a common thing for any NBA player, and less so for rookies. Getting one this early in the season is even rarer.
The last rookie to get a triple-double by his fifth game was Lonzo Ball, who turned the trick for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017-18.
Well, Cameron Boozer pulled it off against Portland Thursday night. The former Duke star finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Trail Blazers.
It’s still early, but at this point, it’s hard to argue that Boozer isn’t the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year.
More importantly, the Memphis Grizzlies are now 5-0.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 5: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks during a preseason game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 5, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Knicks 120-97. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last weekend I went to a trading card show with my oldest son here in Germany. Lovely time, great fun. The old man got a nice Jordan, some Ewings and Shaqs, youngster found another Brunson for his collection. At one booth we were flipping through the dollar box as I noticed a rather ugly team logo on the vendor’s sweater. As he politely asked what we were looking for I told him about our love for the Knicks and then couldn’t help myself to make it clear we surely do not look for players of his unlikable squad.
The Philly fan laughed, I did too – just some ol’ good natured rubbing. As we discussed the early season I mentioned that he surely had an interesting year ahead of him. “We all know that it’s going to go south somehow”, he chuckled, referring to the bulky knees of his team’s center and other issues his franchise has grown accustomed to. Of course I knew what he was talking about; as you may remember, it was mostly the Knicks who tormented the little brothers from Philly in recent years. Yet I was still amazed at how defeated the nice man sounded regarding his team’s chances.
I’m sure you don’t have to look long before you find more obnoxious members of the Sixers fan species, especially after their surprisingly solid start to the season (4 wins, 1 loss). It also includes an opening night win against New York. Of course no Philly fan wants to hear about the asterik of getting the emotionally drained Knicks on Ring Night as a lot of people including their new star player made that game bigger than it actually was.
Knicks starting their NBA Cup defense in Philly
As fate would have it, the Sixers on Friday again have a chance to define themselves against a reigning champion, and again it will be your favorite basketball team. This time the Knicks start their title defense in the much-maligned NBA Cup, that test-tube baby of a basketball competition that clearly had its moments over the years yet feels extremely forced most of the time. No matter if you care about Adam Silver’s money grab or not the game against Philly will surely be an interesting one as it matches the Knicks against a potential playoff opponent and against one of their biggest rivals at the moment.
What we saw from the Sixers on Opening Night was a bit of a preview of their early season in general. They played some top-notch defense, helped by the switchability of a motivated LeBron James and the supposedly decent shape Joel Embiid has gotten himself in. Philadelphia has plenty of strong wings, and many of their guys thrive in the passing lanes. It gets them out on the break, as they have a top-5 pace in the NBA right now, and their assist-to-turnover ratio also sits right there with the best teams in the league.
Currently, that’s one of the only things they do well on offense, though. Exactly two players from their regular rotation shoot over 45 percent from the field right now; they get no offensive rebounds, and they do not shoot or hit a lot of threes. Even with all their scoring power, their half-court offense has mostly been driven by isolation. Every Philly star takes his turn, mostly with mixed results. Tyrese Maxey clearly has been the best of the brotherly bunch, scoring 28.4 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting.
76ers play strong defense yet run a clunky offense
The bad O and strong D have led to extreme ups and downs early for the newly assembled group, which partly was expected yet might also be a concern going forward. You sure wouldn’t feel that secure if your team got down by 29 against Cleveland in your home opener, then trail Detroit a few nights later by 21 in your only loss just to top it off by going into the 4th quarter down 13 against the Pacers sans Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac. Begrudgingly, we give them at least some credit for coming back.
Either way, the show must and will go on in Philadelphia. Only recently did we see LeBron complain about playing center and Joel Embiid about not playing at all – funny for one of the guys who basically invented the term load management. Jaylen Brown also made headlines talking about his relationship with Jayson Tatum, beef or no beef yet: “Maybe some lamb chops and gravy”. Uh, okay, we’ll chalk it up as just another instance of a guy trying to sound extremely smart and interesting yet doing the exact opposite.
For the Knicks it would definitely be smart to not get caught up in all that hoopla. Recently, they have found a much better rhythm on offense, and that will clearly be needed against the physical forces from Philly. Jose Alvarado might be coming back for this one; he is currently listed as a game-time decision. Limiting turnovers will be at a premium as New York does not want to run up and down with the 76ers, especially not on the road. When Nick Nurse tries to hide Embiid on Josh Hart, the Knicks have to punish it. Test the opponent’s communication on the backline with plenty of crisp backdoor cuts, ease the ball-handling pressure for Brunson, and hit your open shots. Sounds easy, I know. In the end, it’s only a game.
The vendor at the card show, and we definitely agreed on that. I’m not sure if he’s watching the battle this Friday; maybe he has another show to prepare for. One thing I know, though: I sure would love it if the Knicks gave him a reason to feel a little more defeated.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (2-3) at Philadelphia 76ers (4-1) Date: Friday, October 30, 2026 Time: 7:30 PM ET Place: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA TV: Prime Video Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: Pacome Dadiet #4 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 12, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
You’ll recognize the World Champion Pacôme Dadiet from his time spent cheering from the bench or dancing on a parade float. His babyface looks are unchanged since his NBA debut—much like his skills.
In a (not so) surprising move, the Knicks have declined to pick up the option for this important practice player. Scoopman Shams Charania reports that the Knicks “plan to decline Pacome Dadiet’s fourth-year option worth $5.37 million, sources tell ESPN.”
This money move will free up a little cap space for Leon Rose as he crunches contract numbers for Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and presumably Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek. The Frenchman will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Dadiet appeared in 18 games as a rookie, 29 as a sophomore, and for one minute of one game in the current campaign. He also played two seasons in the G League with the Westchester club. Late in his second season there, he delivered multiple 25–32-point games, including a 32-point outing with five boards, four dimes, two thefts, and a block.
Although he seemed to be improving in the minor leagues, he hasn’t shown it in his limited appearances at MSG. The best young NBA players demonstrate growth from year to year, with crisper floor movement, shot refinement, physical development, and increased BB IQ. Not so with Pac-Man. The barely 21-year-old will leave an important legacy in New York, however, even if this is indeed his final season with the club.
When selected with the 25th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Dadiet agreed to a four-year rookie-scale deal worth about $13.01 million rather than the more typical maximum scale amount near $13.9 million. First-round rookies can sign for as little as 80% or as much as 120% of the slotted amount. Dadiet took the minimum 80% for 2024-25, a first-year salary of roughly $1.81 million instead of around $2.71 million.
This created about $904,000 in extra flexibility under the 2024-25 second-apron hard cap. The Knicks also paid an $850,000 buyout to free him from his German club (Ratiopharm Ulm), but that overseas buyout did not count against the NBA salary cap.
Without that discount, the subsequent trade for Karl-Anthony Towns (which sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and other pieces to Minnesota, with Charlotte involved for salary matching) would have nudged New York over the second apron. The Towns acquisition as structured would have been impossible, at least in that form.
Later seasons of Dadiet’s deal moved closer to (or above) standard scale, but by originally “taking less,” he helped facilitate the acquisition of KAT, who helped deliver a championship to the city two years later.
The new season is still young—and so is he—but Dads already has a ring and some serious bragging rights. If the ride ends after this season, he’s got plenty to be proud of.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ottawa Senators forward Hayden Hodgson received a game misconduct and major penalty for boarding Los Angeles defenseman Brandt Clarke in the Kings' 6-5 overtime victory Thursday night.
Hodgson took a run at Clarke, charging in at 21 mph according to the game broadcast. Clarke was just below the goal line when he was driven into the boards. The hit caused a brief scrum, and the Kings' Erik Haula received a two-minute penalty for roughing Hodgson.
Clarke was ruled out for the rest of the game for what the Kings called an upper-body injury.
The play with 8:45 left in the second period came shortly after the Kings scored three goals in 4:03 to take a 4-1 lead and chase goalie Jonas Johansson.
Hodgson has played in only 24 NHL games over five seasons, but including Thursday has amassed 51 minutes in penalties.
Ottawa committed six penalties in the first two periods, and the Kings took advantage with power-play goals from Haula and Artemi Panarin to take a 5-1 lead into the third.
The Senators, however, scored four goals in the third period to tie the game. Shane Pinto scored on a 6-on-5 with 1:40 left to force overtime, but LA's Quinton Byfield scored at 3:37 of OT.
Tensions were high throughout the game, with the teams combining for 13 penalties. Ottawa's Samuel Helenius and Los Angeles' Nick Cousins were each handed 10-minute misconduct penalties 4:52 into the third period.
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 6: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Houston Rockets on December 6, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We’re 6.1% of the way through the NBA regular season.
That’s just there in case anyone is taking Houston’s 5-0 record and extrapolating it to contender status.
The Rockets were 13-4 to begin last season, and we all remember the disaster that ended up being. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy this fun start. You absolutely should! But taking a fun surprising start and building new expectations off of it is a recipe for disappointment. Give this team time.
Nevertheless, the Rockets are playing fun and free. This looks nothing like last season’s tooth-pulling adventure. The offense is flowing and shots are going in. There will inevitably be a time where the vibes are no longer stellar.
Speaking of last season (I’m sorry), there was a time where the Rockets were 15-5 and sauntered into Dallas to take on the 8-16 Mavs. And yes, of course it was the second night of a back-to-back because it always is. Anyway, the Rockets were without Alperen Sengun (GTD tonight), Steven Adams (OUT tonight), and Fred VanVleet (available as I type this and knock on all of the wood in the Pacific Northwest). Dallas scored at will, shooting 60% from the field. They went 7-19 from deep and only took 20 free throws, but when you get a ton of shots at the rim, the analytics aren’t as important (yes I know analytics says shots at the rim are best).
Now, Houston isn’t on a back-to-back, but they do play again tomorrow. This is a Friday night game so you know American Airlines Center will be packed to see Cooper Flagg and Friends get their first division win. It’s yet another road test for a surging Rockets team that is dealing with some injuries and still trying to find out who they’ll be over 82 games.
Dallas is 3-1 since that opening night matchup, with their only loss coming to the Spurs. They just took down the Oklahoma City Thunder to give OKC their first loss of the season and they would love to do the same to their I-45 rivals.
Tonight also marks the first game of Houston’s NBA Cup journey. The Rockets will be attempting to win the Falcon this season in West Group A. Their other road contest will come against Denver in a couple of weeks, and they’ll have two home games against the Jazz and Suns. Remember, 4-0 guarantees a spot in the Cup playoffs while 3-1 gives you a good chance but introduces point differential into the mix.
For a minute there, it looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to seize two points from the Utah Mammoth after going down 2-0 in the first period of the game and coming all the way back late.
A Rickard Rakell shorthanded goal with a little more than nine minutes to play tied the game. Then, with 24 seconds left in regulation, the Penguins worked hard ahead of a go-ahead Ben Kindel goal at the net-front on a second-chance opportunity off the pad of goaltender Sebastian Cossa.
It was all smiles, and it looked like everyone in Pittsburgh was going home happy.
But, unfortunately, the last second of the game - and Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley - came back to bite them.
With less than one second remaining on the clock, a puck got behind Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs and went in off the stick of Cooley for his third goal of the game, sending things to overtime. With a minute and 33 seconds left in the extra frame, Mikhail Sergachev put home a rebound opportunity to give Utah the 4-3 win and, instead, send Pittsburgh and its hockey team home in shock.
“I mean, can’t do much about it. It’s a sour taste, for sure," Silovs said. "[We] should’ve just won the game, should’ve just shut it down. But, you know, things happen. It’s hockey, so you just keep going.”
The Penguins got off to an excellent start early on, but an egregious defensive zone turnover by Erik Karlsson went tape-to-tape with Cooley's stick at Utah's offensive blue line, and he skated across the slot and beat Silovs from the left circle to give the Mammoth the 1-0 lead.
Later in the period, Cooley took a pass from Lawson Crouse and split the Penguins' defense, giving himself a breakaway opportunity and finishing it off to put Utah up by two.
The Penguins grabbed some momentum a few minutes into the second period, and they were eventually rewarded when Karlsson walked in down the right side after the second line broke into the zone and got him the puck, stickhandling around Nick Schmaltz and ripping a shot past Cossa from the slot to cut Utah's lead in half.
Despite Utah controlling most of the play in the third period, Pittsburgh took back the momentum entirely with Rakell's shorthanded goal, which was the second of his career. He won a race to a loose puck in the neutral zone that set up a two-on-one with him and Nick Robertson, and he elected to shoot, sniping one into the upper-left quadrant of the net to beat Cossa blocker-side and tie the game.
Then, with time winding down, the Penguins' second line came in on the rush. Cossa made a spectacular close-range save on Evgeni Malkin with his right pad, but Kindel was waiting on the doorstep, and he gave the Penguins the late 3-2 lead.
But, with less than two seconds left, fellow Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck threw a puck on net, and Cooley snuck in behind Penguins' defenseman Declan Carlile uncovered. In front of an entire suite full of friends and family, Cooley guided in the tying goal on his backhand with 0.9 seconds left and forced overtime, where Sergachev ended it.
A similar thing happened to the Penguins last season against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 9, when they surrendered the tying goal with a little more than a second left on the clock and lost in the shootout, 4-3. This time, though, marked the latest tying goal the Penguins, as a franchise, have ever surrendered.
But they have no choice but to move forward and look ahead to Saturday's tilt in Montreal against the Canadiens, where they hope to hunker down on the defensive details like they know they are capable of doing.
"We need to understand if we lead by one goal, it's important [for them] to not score. It's important to play good in d-zone, you know?" Malkin said. "Not turnovers, like, play right. We know how we need to play. We watch lots of video, we work [in] practice, but sometimes we play against good teams. They're, what, first power play in the league? And six-on-five is a little bit like a power play, too.
"They knew what they [were] doing, and again, next time we need better, for sure."
- All things considered, this wasn't necessarily a poor effort from the Penguins. In fact, they controlled stretches of play and were able to dictate terms offensively here and there, and they did this against one of the league's fastest teams.
The problem is that they are ill-equipped to handle heavy momentum swings, which are going to happen against good teams. And they force themselves into mistakes.
As Malkin alluded to, this team is capable, which is what makes some of their decisions with and without the puck all the more baffling. If Karlsson doesn't turn that puck over, there's no first Cooley goal. If Carlile covers Cooley at the end of the game, he probably doesn't have time and space to put the puck in the back of the net with less than a second to go.
At the end of the day, this seems to be an issue of execution and mentality. Mistakes happen, but most of the Penguins' mistakes end up in the back of their net.
- And, make no mistake, this score could have looked a lot worse. In fact, the Penguins were lucky to have gotten a point out of it in the first place.
Silovs, playing in his fourth consecutive game, was outstanding. Early in the first period, he looked a little bit deep in his net, but he was locked in from the second goal allowed through the rest of the game. He made two breakaway saves in the third period alone, one on Kailer Yamamoto early and the other on Clayton Keller later. He made a key save on Nick Schmaltz when he was in all alone in the second period, too. He also made some stops in overtime before the Sergachev goal.
This guy has been lights-out for the Penguins, and the consistency is beginning to show. Folks tend to forget that Silovs is only 25 and was a rookie last season, which means there is still room for him to develop into a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL.
And, right now, he is very clearly this team's No. 1, although I suspect Sergei Murashov might get the nod Saturday in Montreal since he hasn't played in two weeks.
Chinakhov's speed advantage is clear, but it's remarkable that Kindel looks like he's keeping up with him pretty well. Kindel is so cerebral, and once he got back in the swing of things, he was making things happen and driving play for his line. I expect this line to take off if its stays intact.
The first line got some momentum midway through the game as well, especially Rakell, who has looked much better in the last three or four games. That said, Tommy Novak has no points since joining the third line three games ago and having eight points in his first 10 games, while Sidney Crosby has just three goals and seven points in 13 games.
If the Penguins are to truly turn the car around this season, they need their top-six to be operating at a higher level. Maybe they have something in these lines, but if Crosby can't start producing with regularity soon, it may be time to raise some alarm bells.
- On the other end of the defensive spectrum, Kris Letang was outstanding Thursday. And he's been playing very well for a handful of games.
There were two different occasions in the first period where Letang got the puck out of danger in front of his own net, whether by swiping the puck to the corner or picking off a pass right in Silovs's wheelhouse. His stick work has been noticeable, and his breakouts have been much better, too.
He isn't trying to play beyond his means right now, and that's probably the best-case scenario for him. A decreased workload and a consistent partner have done wonders for Letang, even if Carlile has been far too inconsistent on the defensive side of things. Perhaps a partner who is very active and likes to jump into the play has forced Letang to simplify, which has actually been to his benefit.
Regardless, it's good to see Letang playing well. The Penguins really need him to, especially given the instability of the blue line so far this season.
- Rakell has been outstanding on the penalty kill this season. Head coach Dan Muse has spoken in the past about how he likes to use power play players on the penalty kill because they have the ability to read and predict plays. Rakell does that very well, and he puts a lot of pressure on the puck carrier to make quick decisions.
With Bryan Rust out, Rakell's PK responsibilities have increased, as he is part of the second unit with Robertson. Opposing teams know they're both threats to go the other way. They've both been fits on that unit, particularly when they're out there at the same time.
- Karlsson now has 13 points in 13 games. Malkin has six goals and 11 points in 12 games and has, by far, been the Penguins' best player this season.
The Penguins are slowly but surely getting younger, and they need to. But this goes to show that, so far this season, they've been far too reliant on their veterans to produce, which is probably a big reason why the team has seen inconsistent results.
They won two games with a more youthful lineup, and even though the competition wasn't at the level of Utah, I'm not entirely sure that's a coincidence. Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty are back in the AHL or sitting in the press box, respectively.
If some of the veterans can't help this team win, it might be time to consider bringing some of that youthful energy into the lineup more regularly. Because, well, it does matter, and it does make a difference, especially against younger and faster teams like Utah.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is already turning heads around the NHL, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes believes the 19-year-old is only scratching the surface of what he could eventually become.
Following Minnesota’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders on Thursday night, Hughes offered significant praise for the young defenseman, even suggesting Schaefer has the potential to develop into one of the NHL’s top three to five players.
“He’s really impressive. I mean, when I was 19, I was a sophomore at Michigan. And when Cale [Makar] was 19, he was a freshman and did one more year, or two more, I forget. But same with Fox, he did three years. Werenski, too. Like, all those guys I just mentioned were in college at this kid’s age. So he’s obviously really good.”
For Hughes, what makes Schaefer’s emergence particularly remarkable is how far ahead he is compared to several of today’s premier NHL defensemen at the same age.
Hughes, Makar, Adam Fox and Zach Werenski all spent time developing in college before establishing themselves as elite NHL defensemen.
Schaefer, meanwhile, is already making an impact against the world’s best players.
But Hughes believes the most exciting years of Schaefer’s career are still ahead of him.
“Yeah, really like his game. But I think for him, being 19, this is all gravy right now. Like, when he’s 22, 23, 24, 25, all the way up, I mean, those are the years where he can really — he should be a top-three, top-five player in the league. So he’s just got to keep climbing. But it’s obviously impressive with where he’s at at 19.”
That’s substantial praise coming from Hughes, who has established himself as one of the NHL’s premier offensive defensemen.
And he wasn’t the only member of the Wild impressed by Schaefer on Thursday.
Wild head coach John Hynes was particularly impressed with Schaefer’s skating ability and offensive instincts.
“He’s good. He’s hard to play against. He’s a great skater. You saw what he can do with the puck, and he’s an offense driver and he was good tonight,” Hynes said.
“Yeah, he has the ability, he’s got good size, but I think the thing that helps him is his skating is elite. He’s able to hold onto the puck and do some things at the offensive blue line and some of the things that you see with the premier offensive defensemen in the league he has that skill set.”
Hynes’ assessment highlights what makes Schaefer such a difficult player to defend.
His skating allows him to maintain possession, create offensive opportunities and extend plays along the blue line, qualities typically associated with established offensive defensemen.
On Thursday night in Minnesota, Schaefer's game was on full display.
With his overtime-winner, Schaefer became the first teenage defenseman in NHL history with three career overtime goals. He broke a tie with Cam Fowler (2).
Wild forward Nico Sturm was equally impressed by the confidence Schaefer displays at such a young age, and if he sees a little Hughes in Schaefer.
“I think that’s pretty fair to say. I just admire the guys coming into the league at 18, 19, and the confidence that they have and just looking like they’ve been in the league for eight years,” Sturm said.
“I don’t know what these guys do growing up, to be honest with you. It’s kind of insane. They just all get good hands, good skating, elite shot. I think I missed that part growing up.
Players like Schaefer are entering the league with advanced skating, puck skills and confidence, allowing them to make an immediate impact rather than spending several years adjusting to the professional game.
Schaefer, 19, is now up to four goals, ten assists and 14 points in 13 games. He scored the game-tying goal in the first period before he scored the game-winner in overtime.
It was his fifth career multi-goal game and tied Phil Housley for the most by a teenage defenseman in NHL history.
It was pretty evident that Minnesota struggled to contain the young defenseman. He was all over the ice on Thursday.
“Yeah, he’s a heck of a player for sure. He showed it tonight. I don’t think we did a good enough job of slowing him down, making his life a little bit harder,” Boldy said. “But credit to him, he plays the game like he’s been playing for 10, 15 years. It’s pretty fun to watch. Future is obviously pretty bright. They’re pretty lucky to have him over there.”
For a player still in the early stages of his NHL career, receiving that level of recognition from opposing players and coaches speaks volumes.
Hughes sees a future superstar. Hynes sees an elite skating ability and offensive skill set. Sturm sees remarkable confidence and maturity. Boldy sees a player who already looks like an NHL veteran.
And if Hughes’ prediction proves accurate, what the Wild witnessed Thursday night could be just the beginning of something special for Schaefer and the Islanders.
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View of a 'Jack of Spades' from a deck of playing cards (printed in Frankfurt, Germany), circa 1875. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the offseason so it’s time to check the latest roster-building websites out.
Here, I have made an opening salvo at what would be an aggressive, yet realistic, offseason for the Guardians.
-They trade for Alec Burleson from the Cardinals (trading Welbyn Francisca, Ryan Cesarini and Slade Cecconi) and Gabriel Hughes (trading Kyle Manzardo, Franco Aleman and Braylon Doughty) from the Rockies.
-They sign Alex Vesia in free agency at 2 years/$16M.
-They add Justin Campbell, Franklin Gomez, Jacob Zibin, Jaison Chourio and Tommy Hawke to the 40-man.
-They keep David Fry for depth (he still has 2 options).
-They let Matt Festa, Blake Perkins and Shawn Armstrong go.
-The starting lineup is very left-hander heavy, but the bench features guy who can all swing it from the right side. I see Genao getting starts at short, second and third, and maybe getting reps in center. Adell and Burleson platoon, essentially, and Burleson can play first. Angel platoons with Ingle in left, and Ingle can continue to get some reps at catcher, also.
Payroll is a very sustainable $110M.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pontus Holmberg set a career high with four points on a goal and three assists, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and two assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning remain unbeaten at home with a 6-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Brayden Point, John Carlson and Conor Geekie all scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots.
The Lightning improved to 6-0 at home to tie a franchise record to start a season.
Neil Pionk, playing his 600th game, scored twice. Kyle Connor and Dylan Samberg also scored for the Jets and Mark Scheilffele had three assists.
Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Nico Daws to start the third period. Daws finished with nine saves in his Winnipeg debut.
Winnipeg is winless (0-5-2) in the past seven games, including three consecutive regulation losses since trading goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey.
The Jets’ last victory came on Oct. 13.
HURRICANES 3, BLUE JACKETS 2
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Mark Jankowski scored in the third period for a three-goal lead, Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves and Carolina beat Columbus.
Kochetkov improved to 9-0-0 and set the franchise record for longest season-opening winning streak. Jordan Martinook and Logan Stankoven also scored and Seth Jarvis added two assists as the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes won for the fourth time in five games.
Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots for Columbus. Denton Mateychuk and Kent Johnson scored in the third period.
Jankowski’s goal, 16 seconds into the third period, felt like added insurance, but turned out to be the difference in the game.
Martinook beat Greaves from the left circle to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 4:09 left in the first period.
Stankoven made it 2-0 with his team-leading ninth goal of the season, 7:47 into the second period. Stankoven has five goals in six home games this season.
MAMMOTH 4, PENGUINS 3, OT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Logan Cooley completed a hat trick against his hometown team with a second left, Mikhail Sergachev scored at 3:27 of overtime and Utah stunned Pittsburgh.
After Ben Kindel put Pittsburgh ahead 3-2 with 25 seconds left, Cooley — playing his third NHL game in Pittsburgh — batted the puck in from the left side of the net for sixth goal in four games and seventh of the season.
Cooley became the third Pittsburgh native with a hat trick against the Penguins, joining Brandon Saad and R.J. Umberger. At age 5, Cooley took part in Sidney Crosby’s first Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program.
Cooley scored for the first time in seven games against Pittsburgh. He had two first-period goals to give the Mammoth an early 2-0 lead, and scored in the third for his third career hat trick.
In overtime, Sergachev beat Arturs Silovs off a rebound in front.
Sebastian Cossa stopped 31 shots for the Mammoth, who have won three of their last five games overall. Utah is 5-0-0 after a loss and 8-0-0 when leading after two periods.
Rickard Rakell had a short-handed goal, and Erik Karlsson also scored for Pittsburgh. Silovs made 30 saves.
RED WINGS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson scored his sixth career hat trick and added an assist as Detroit Red overcame the suspension of former captain Dylan Larkin with a victory over Chicago.
The third four-point game of Arvidsson’s career gave Detroit a 5-1-1 record over its last seven games. Lucas Raymond added a power-play goal and Alex DeBrincat had two assists. John Gibson made 18 saves, including one on Frank Nazar’s second-period penalty shot.
Connor Bedard scored for the Blackhawks, who are 0-5 on the road this season. Spencer Knight stopped 25 shots.
The Red Wings suspended Larkin without pay prior to the game. Larkin, who requested a trade during the offseason, through his agent said would no longer play for the organization. Larkin has two goals and six assists in 10 games this season, including the tying goal during a shootout victory at Edmonton on Monday.
CANADIENS 5, STARS 2
DALLAS (AP) — Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook scored two goals each as Montreal beat Dallas.
Jakub Dobes made 17 saves in his first win since opening night as the Canadiens won their fourth consecutive game, all in Central Division rinks. Phillip Danault had an empty-net goal and an assist.
Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist and Jamie Benn also scored for the Stars, who had won five straight before Tuesday’s 5-1 home loss to New Jersey. Jake Oettinger, who went into play third in the NHL with a 1.43 goals-against average, allowed a season-most four goals on 20 shots.
Caufield opened the scoring with a one-timer 7:24 in. Only 27 seconds after Newhook broke a 1-1 tie late in the first period, Caufield stuffed in a puck that crossed behind Oettinger to give Montreal the lead for good.
Newhook made it 4-1 early in the second period six seconds after Dallas’ top-ranked penalty kill notched the 25th of 27 consecutive kills scoring on a ricochet off the boards behind the net that Oettinger never saw.
The Canadiens are 4-0 without captain Nick Suzuki, who was lost for two-to-four weeks on Oct. 20 with an upper-body injury.
BLUES 4, BRUINS 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg each had a goal and two assists to lead St. Louis to a win over Boston.
Before the win, the Blues were 0-3-3 in their last six games against Bruins at home since Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final on June 3, 2019.
Jimmy Snuggerud and Jake Neighbours scored a power-play goal for St. Louis and Joel Hofer recorded 31 saves.
James Hagens scored for the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots.
St. Louis went ahead 2-1 on a wrist shot from the top of the slot by Broberg at 5:17 of the second period. Connor McMichael passed from behind the net to an open Broberg, whose shot went just inside the right post.
The Blues extended the lead to 3-1 on a goal by Thomas at 12:08. He took the puck from Justin Barron at the blue line, skated to the high slot and fired a wrist shot high to beat Swayman.
ISLANDERS 4, WILD 3, OT
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matthew Schaefer scored his second goal of the game on a wrist shot at 33 seconds of overtime to give New York a victory over Minnesota.
Schaefer beat goalie Jesper Wallstedt from the right circle on a break.
Schaefer also had an assist, Bo Horvat scored a power-play goal and Adam Pelech also connected for for New York. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.
Joel Eriksson Ek, Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy scored for Central Division-leading Minnesota, with Boldy tying it at 3 with 3:53 left in regulation.
Wallstedt stopped 22 shots.
The Islanders won their second straight to improve to 7-4-2. The Wild dropped to 9-4-2. They had won three in a row.
CAPITALS 4, PREDATORS 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cole Hutson scored twice to lead Washington to a victory over Nashville.
Boone Jenner and Alex Tuch also scored and Charlie Lindgren made 25 saves for Washington, winners of three straight and five of six. Aliaksei Protas and Jack St. Ivany each had two assists.
Filip Forsberg scored twice, Ross Colton also scored and Juuse Saros made 25 saves for Nashville, losers of four of five. Roman Josi had three assists.
Forsberg opened the scoring with 7:12 left in the first period.
With the Predators on a 5-on-3, Ryan O’Reilly sent a pass from the high slot to Forsberg at the top of the left circle, where he beat Lindgren with a one-timer.
Forsberg has scored a power-play goal in three-straight games. O’Reilly extended his points streak to four games. He has three goals and four assists over that span.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 21: Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles into the defense. of Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game at Crypto.com Arena on October 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, 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 Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers (4-1) will kick off their quest for another NBA Cup title on Friday against the Golden State Warriors (2-3). Both Pacific Division teams are in West Group C for the group stage.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors
When: 7 p.m. PT, Oct 30
Where: Chase Center
Watch: Prime Video
It’s been just a week since these two teams faced off in the season opener and now they’re back in the spotlight to headline the first day of the NBA Cup. After dominating the Warriors in the season opener, the Lakers have kept building momentum while the Warriors have been up and down.
And oh, Yaxel Lendeborg has not stopped talking about Luka Dončić. I mean, seriously, it’s like there’s a new quote from him about Luka that makes the rounds every single day.
Is Yaxel Lendeborg looking forward to the Lakers game on Friday?
Going from LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry headlining these Lakers-Warriors matchups to now it being Dončić vs. the rookie from Michigan. It’s an interesting shift for a matchup that has lost some of its juice over the past few seasons. Maybe this NBA Cup game will add more to the fire.
Speaking of the NBA Cup, the Lakers and Warriors are in the same group as the Spurs, Blazers and Kings. All these teams will face each other for the next month and the squad that’s on top of the Group C standing advances to the knockout round. They can also advance as the wild card team by having the best record among all second-place finishers in the conference.
Given how the Lakers have performed in the NBA Cup over the last two years, it would be nice to see them go far this season for a change. Perhaps it won’t be too hard to motivate them given the additional money that could come with winning these games. That’s why some of these NBA Cup games add much-needed juice this early in the regular season.
If the Lakers-Warriors season opener was any indication, Friday’s rematch should be even more thrilling. The purple and gold should expect a better Warriors team coming in with a two-game winning streak. Golden State has really benefited from Lendeborg’s early success and on top of that, Curry — who just scored 44 points in their recent victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves — is still one of the most dangerous players.
The Lakers’ defense will have to be prepared. It’ll be interesting to see if head coach JJ Redick continues to give Jared Vanderbilt playing time after he played 21 minutes in the victory against the Clippers. Vando was a has a plus-minus of +22 and had seven rebounds. The Lakers also nabbed a season-high 48 rebounds, which hopefully is a sign of improvement moving forward.
Beyond controlling the boards, the Lakers must once again capitalize on their advantages over the Warriors. LA has more offensive firepower, a better bench and, frankly, the best superstar on the floor and it has to look that way on Friday. The Lakers can’t let Lendeborg or Brandin Podziemski make a significant impact.
Golden State will be more comfortable knocking down those 3-pointers at home and playing loose. It’ll be up to the Lakers to control the game as they did so in the first matchup.
Let’s see if the Lakers can do that and start their NBA Cup campaign with a statement win on Friday.
Notes and Updates
If you need a refresher course on the NBA Cup, here’s the perfect thread for it:
In the season opener match between these two teams, Walker Kessler scored 26 points and was a perfect 12-12 from the field. It’ll be ideal if the Lakers can get a monster performance from their big man again.
For the Lakers’ injury report, Ziaire Williams (left foot injury management) is questionable.
As for the Warriors, Gui Santos (left knee tendinitis) is doubtful while Kristaps Porzingis (not with team), Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair) and Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair) are out.
